Resident Evil: A Brother's Promise
by XAgent-Venom666X
Summary: Discharged from the Marine Corps. William 'BJ' Birkin, the older son of William and Annette Birkin, is on is way back to Raccoon City to be with his little sister. But this soldier's homecoming will soon become a nightmare. Teaming up with a young woman looking for her brother, their only hope is to rely on each other to survive what has been unleashed.
1. Homecoming

**(Disclaimer: All rights belong to Capcom)**

_**"Brother and sister, together as friends, ready to face whatever life sends. Joy and laughter or tears and strife, holding hands tightly as we dance through life." - Suzie Huitt**_

Heavy rainfall pelted the long stretch of road that led to the Raccoon City limits, a pair of headlights in the distance could be seen approaching as a black '96 Chevy Blazer drove down the long stretch of highway.

Wipers swept back and forth on the windshield, keeping visibility as the driver focused on the road infront of them. A young man with a buzzed head, blue eyes and a strong build dressed in a set of desert-camo fatigues, his features hard and focused as the dark landscape flew past.

The car's radio played 'Back in Black' by ACDC, turned down just enough to fill the silence. A tan colored backpack sitting in the passenger seat with a rucksack tucked away in the trunk. To the outside observer, he looked like a simple soldier on his way home.

But it was anything but simple.

Reaching into one of the front pockets of his jacket, he pulled out a photograph that showed him kneeling beside a 10 year old girl with the same colored eyes, short blonde hair and wearing a white and blue sundress. Both of them smiling at the camera.

The soldier smiled at the image. It had been taken two years prior just before he had been shipped out to Iraq and had been one of his most prized possessions throughout his time overseas and had helped him through many tough moments. Reminding him to never give up, and to keep a promise he had made that same day.

"Almost home, Sherry." he said softly, putting the picture back in its proper place and turning back to the road ahead. Light from the dashboard illuminating the patch on his jacket that read; **'W. Birkin'**.

William J. Birkin II, or BJ as he liked to be known, was the 22 year old son of the scientists William and Annette Birkin. Born and raised in Raccoon City along with his baby sister Sherry who had been born when he was 10.

Growing up, his parents made it no secret that they wanted him to follow in their footsteps, given his grades throughout his school career, he showed promise in many scientific fields. But BJ had no interest in being a scientist, or working for the Umbrella Corporation like his parents did.

While he was still in high school, BJ became interested in joining the military. But when he approached his parents about it they made no hesitation in how much they were against such a thing. This in turn caused a lot of strife and tension in the Birkin household, even more so given that William and Annette were rarely every home for either one of their children.

The only one in their family that was on his side was Sherry, who he had taken care of throughout most of their childhood. With their parents working such high demanding jobs, it fell on BJ to look after his sister.

He and Sherry always had a close bond, ever since she was brought home from the hospital BJ had the powerful urge to protect her from the rest of the world. Whenever she got bullied at school, he was always the one to put an end to it, no one massed with the little girl with her overprotective big brother not too far away.

This in turn got him in the occasional trouble, but it was worth it making sure Sherry was okay.

After he graduated high school, against his parents' wishes, BJ enlisted in the Marine Corps. They treated him with cold indifference after that, but it didn't matter to him anymore.

Before being shipped out to basic, he spent every waking minute he could with Sherry. Doing so again when he came back six months later before he was sent overseas to Iraq. But not before making the promise to his baby sister that he would come back to her. That nothing would stop him from coming home.

And now, after almost three years of being away, BJ was well on his way to completing that promise.

X

A couple miles outside the Raccoon City limits, BJ pulled his Chevy into a Mizoil gas station. Bringing the vehicle beside an available pump before shutting off the engine and stepping out into the cool September air.

Reaching down to his right leg, he adjusted the rig setup where his sidearm was holstered. A Heckler & Koch MK.23 MOD 0 he had been issued some time ago. Making sure both the weapon and two spare ammo clips he kept for it were safely secured in place before removing the nozzle from the pump and putting it in the gas tank opening.

As the pump started filling, BJ took a better look at his surroundings. The station was quiet, aside from a police cruiser parked in the front by the door there was nothing else.

Leaning against the car with his arms crossed, the Marine started to plan out the confrontation with his parents that he knew was coming the moment he pulled into their dooryard. His relationship with them fell apart almost completely when he told them he enlisted, the fact that they didn't outright disown him with how they acted was surprising.

He still loved him, they were still his mom and dad and that would never change. But after some of the things they had shouted at him that day he would never forgive them for.

As far as he was concerned, he was coming home to Sherry and nothing else. She was the only family that mattered to him.

The nozzle clicked off when the tank became full, bringing BJ out of his thoughts. Setting it back into the pump, he began making his way to the station to pay for the gas when he heard a loud crash emit from somewhere inside.

Tensing, the Marine approached the door a little slower. Reaching the door and pushing it open to peer inside, he saw that all the lights were out, making it hard to see anything beyond the threshold.

"Hello?" he called out, his voice echoing back at him with no other answer. Seeing a flashlight on the floor at his feet, he reached down and picked it up to shine it around the store.

The whole place was a wreck. Shelves and products were knocked over and scattered across the floor.

Something wasn't right. He could feel it in the air, a cold sense of dread that went down his spine that brought him back to those tense moments back overseas.

Stepping slowly into the station, shining the flashlight around and calling out again. "Anyone here? Hello?" When he brought the light down to the floor he froze.

Wet, red spots were splattered on the tiles. The dark color, the way it had landed...he'd seen this enough times to know full well what it was;

Blood. And it was fresh.

BJ's instincts immediately went into overdrive, drawing his sidearm and pointing it ahead in a fluid motion with the hand holding the flashlight crossed over his arm. Boot-prints could be seen going through the puddle and leading farther back into the store. The Marine followed the trail, all of his senses strained as he stepped slowly and quietly.

Turning down one of the isles, his flashlight shined over a man slumped against a wall by an open door, a hand pressed to the side of his neck with blood seeping between his fingers. "Shit!" BJ jogged over and knelt beside him, "Sir, are you okay? What happened?!"

The man gasped through the pain he was in, raising his free arm and pointing to the open doorway.

"Stay here, keep pressure on that wound. We'll get you some help." BJ instructed as he got up and entered into the storage hallway in the back of the station. Weapon leading as he approached another door that was slightly ajar where he could hear banging and the sounds of a struggle.

Pushing the door open, BJ was greeted with the sight of a police officer attempting to restrain someone against a wall on the other side of the room.

"I said hold still!" the officer shouted as the man he was trying to arrest struggled harder. He turned when the light shined on him and saw BJ, "Sir, stay back!" The perp jerked away suddenly, spinning around and grabbing the officer from behind, dragging them both to the floor and sinking his teeth into his neck.

BJ could only watch in horror as the unknown man tore a large chunk of flesh from the officers neck, blood spraying everywhere while the officer screamed in agony. "GET OFF HIM!" the Marine shouted when he overcame his shock.

The man raised his head, revealing a face as pale as stone. His eyes were the color of spoiled milk, filmed over and looked sightless but could still very much see the soldier in front of him.

Chewing loudly on the bloody chunk of the cop he had just bitten into, the man rose to his feet, loud groan of misery and hunger emitting from deep within his throat as he shambled toward BJ.

"Stay back." the Marine ordered, his weapon leveled with the attacker's chest. He was ignored as the man drew closer, his arms coming up making grabbing motions with his hands. "Last warning, stay back!" BJ shouted again, finger tight on the trigger.

The man made a sound that was somewhere between a growl and a gurgle as he lunged-

BJ's MK.23 kicked back when he fired a round. A small explosion of red burst from the man's chest, causing him to stumble back several steps. To the Marine's astonishment, the attacker not only remained standing, but started coming at him again.

"What the fuck?" BJ fired two more shots. The bullets punching through where he knew the man's heart and lungs wound have been. But he was still coming, oblivious of the bloody holes that had been drilled through it.

Shaking his head, the Marine raised his weapon higher and pulled the trigger a fourth time. The attacker's head snapped back, the round going through his forehead and blowing a fountain out the back of his skull. His body fell back and hit the ground, legs twitching a couple times before going completely still.

When he was sure the man was down for good, BJ stepped over and got a better look. It wasn't possible for anyone to survive three bullets to the chest, especially when they hit vital areas. The man's skin was almost like wax with visible veins just beneath the surface.

And the blood oozing from the wounds, it was dark, partially coagulated. Such a thing only happened after you were dead.

"What the hell's going on around here?" BJ wondered. A deep groan snapped his attention toward the downed police officer. "Officer? Officer, can you hear me?" he asked, moving to his side and kneeling down next to him.

The officer rolled over, his skin already pale from the loss of blood. When he opened his eyes, the Marine saw that they had the same cloudy appearance as the man that attacked him. He had half a second to register the coming danger as the officer suddenly grabbed him, growling ferally as he tried to pull the younger man to his waiting mouth.

"Fuck!" BJ cursed loudly, fighting back against the surprisingly strong hold to avoid getting chomped on. Bringing his knee up and planting it firmly on the officer's chest to pin him down, he adjusted his weapon's aim and fired. The bullet drilling up through the man's chin and up and out the top of his head.

Pulling away from the now dead cop, BJ quickly got back to his feet and looked down at the body, taking several deep breaths to collect himself before he turned and started running down the corridor he had come down before.

He needed to get out of here. Whatever the hell was going on, he needed to get to the city. Find out what the hell was going on.

Entering back into the store, BJ was ambushed by the man he'd passed earlier. Having fallen to his neck injury and risen like the officer had.

Reacting on instinct, the Marine grabbed one of the man's outstretched arms and slammed him head-first into the glass of a cooler door. BJ quickly made his way around the store as two more bodies rose up from the floor and began to shamble toward him, avoiding their grabbing hands as he reached the door and yanked it open.

Freezing in mid-step when he almost ran into a young woman who was on her way inside.

A she was a brunette, a head shorter than him with blue eyes and her hair done up in a pony tail dressed in a black tank top beneath a red-leather jacket, a pair of dark skinny jeans and boots. A look of anxiousness marring her pretty face with a small revolver clenched in her hand.

BJ opened his mouth to speak when he saw movement behind her and raised his weapon.

"Wait! Don't shoot! the woman shouted.

"DUCK!" he shouted back, the woman dropped into a crouch as he shot the one that was trying to grab her from behind in the head.

BJ quickly stepped out of the station and closed the door to keep the others from getting after them. "You okay?" he asked the woman as she stood back up.

"Yeah...I think so...thanks." she replied in relief.

The Marine looked out into the stations parking lot and felt his stomach drop, "Thank me when we get the hell out of here." he said, drawing the woman's attention as over a dozen people stumbled toward them. All of them hissing and growling similar to the ones he had killed moments ago all in different levels of decomposition.

"Holy shit..." the woman said, raising her weapon at the coming horde.

BJ looked at their opposition, there were too many to fight and they'd run out of ammo fast. "Come on!" he shouted, kicking one of the creatures away and ran for his truck. The woman right behind him as they ducked and weaved around the hands and teeth reaching for them

Going around to the driver's side, BJ raised his MK.23 and shot two attackers while the woman shot a third, giving them the time they needed to get into the Blazer. The second the doors closed he started the engine and gunned it, peeling out of the gas station and taking off down the road toward the city.

When they were far enough away, they both breathed in relief. "What the hell's going on?" his passenger asked.

"Not a clue. Maybe they'll have some answers in the city." BJ replied, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"Are you a soldier?" she asked, looking his way and finally taking in his appearance and uniform.

"Yeah, Marine. William Birkin, though I prefer to be called BJ." answered the Marine. "And you are...?"

"Claire. Claire Redfield." the now named Claire replied. "You live around here?"

"Used to. Grew up in Raccoon." said BJ, "I got discharged some time ago and was coming back to see my little sister...definitely wasn't expecting this though."

Claire nodded in understanding, "I came looking for my brother. He's a cop."

"Guess it's a good thing we ran into each other, no idea what's waiting for us when we get to the city." the Marine looked to the side of the road in time to see a sign that passed them;

**'Welcome to Raccoon City: Home of the Umbrella Corporation'**

Neither of them knew what was waiting for them in Raccoon City. But in their search for their siblings, the duo was about to enter a nightmare the likes of which they've never known. And their very survival would be relying on their skills, their luck, and each other to make it through the coming horrors...

**X**

**A/N: A slow start, but a decent opening. **

**As many of you may have guessed, this story is based off the new RE2 remake that has gone above and beyond expectations in my mind. I was also inspired by Wraith002's creation 'RE: Legacy' and figured I'd try my hand at another badass zombie story.**

**Love it or hate it, I'm taking this story to the end and beyond! And with so much to work with, there will be plenty of blood, violence, and possibly romance. You'll just have to keep readying to find out!**


	2. City of the Dead

The drive from the gas station was done in silence, and BJ was thankful for it. It gave him time to wrap his head around what had just happened a few short minutes ago.

As much as he wanted to deny it, to find some other answer for what he had encountered, the Marine couldn't help but accept the obvious. No matter how strange and unbelievable it was.

Zombies.

He had been attacked by the living dead. Proven when the only way he was able to drop them was a shot to the head. Their bite turning others into more of them soon after death...he still couldn't believe it. But the evidence spoke for itself.

Grip tightening on the steering wheel, BJ took a couple deep, calming breaths. Remembering the mantra one of his superiors taught him while he was overseas. Something that helped him through a lot of rough situations when he needed to clear his head;

_"Inhale, count to four...Exhale, count to four..."_

The anxiety clawing at his chest dulled, allowing him to think better now and come up with a plan.

He needed to find Sherry, that took priority. He would also try and find their parents. Despite their differences, he still cared about them and wanted to see them safe as well. He only hoped that things within the city weren't as bad as he was starting to believe...

But as the Blazer drove down the streets of Raccoon City, both he and Claire were greeted with the sights of cars left derelict, debris strewn about, and a handful of fires burning.

Stores and other businesses that lined the streets were either boarded up or broken into, blood painting the glass windows or the sidewalks outside.

Not a single soul could be found. And the only sound that could be heard other than the rain pelting the vehicle was a broadcast that was echoing from somewhere nearby;

**"Attention all citizens: Due to a citywide outbreak, you are advised to take shelter at the Raccoon City Police station. Free food and medical supplies will be provided to everyone in need."** the message continued to play on a loop every few minutes.

"My god, this is so unreal." Claire said, her eyes looking out her window as they passed a line of empty cars on her side.

BJ nodded in agreement, "The police station is our best bet. It was made one of several safe areas in the event of an emergency. Someone there will know what's happening."

Claire looked over at him, "How much further is it?"

"Not too far, just up the road here." the Marine answered.

"What if...what if we're the only ones?" she asked, "What if there aren't any other survivors-"

"There will be others." BJ cut her off sharply. Even though he had thought something similar, he wasn't going to give up hope about others making it through this...including Sherry. "Raccoon is a big place. There's gotta be someone making it through this."

Realizing that she may have upset her new companion, Claire went to say something when he suddenly pulled the car to a stop. Ahead of them was a set of concrete roadblocks sealing off the street, and a literal parking lot of cars beyond that making any further advance in the Chevy impossible.

"Look's like we're hoofin' it from here." BJ said as he put the car in park. "I know the way, as long as we avoid any trouble, we should make it there no problem."

Claire went to open her door when she caught sight of movement outside. Several feet from the car, she saw a couple of bodies hunched over another, even through the rain and darkness she could tell that there were two zombies eating a corpse.

"More like running." she said, making BJ follow her line of sight as the two undead looked up at them from their current meal.

"We need to get moving before-" the Marine was cut off when another zombie slammed into his window, bloody handprints smearing the glass. "Fuck!"

Two more slammed into Claire's side, making her scream in alarm. Before either of them knew it, the whole car was surrounded by the undead. Their rotten hands banging on glass and metal as they tried to find a way inside.

"BJ, we gotta back up!" Claire said over all the noise. BJ nodded, shifting the Blazer into reverse and looking back...freezing in his tracks when he saw a large pair of headlights heading toward them.

"The hell...?" he said, getting his companions attention as she saw what he was as the form of an eighteen-wheeler barreled down the street with no sign of stopping.

With the zombies surrounding them, and no way to go forward or even turn out of the way...

"Claire, BRACE!" BJ shouted as the large truck suddenly swerved right, crashing through the parked cars in its path before jack-knifing and slammed into the back of the Blazer. The force sending them through the roadblock and into one of the cars on the other side. The tanker attached to the trailer of the rig flipped over on its side as it finally came to rest.

Several seconds passed before the doors of the Blazer slowly opened. The dented metal groaning as bits of glass clattered to the asphalt under it.

BJ stepped out of the driver's side, holding his head and trying to shake the cobwebs of the impact. Aside from a small cut on his forehead, he was fine.

Looking over the hood, he found Claire was alright as well. Shaken up and a little sore, but other than that she seemed to be in good health.

"You good?" he asked, coming around the back of his wrecked car.

"Yeah...you?" she asked back.

The Marine rolled his left shoulder a bit, "I've had worse." he paused when a particular smell reached his nose. The heavy rain around them not able to mask it completely.

Snapping his attention back to the car, he saw a puddle oozing out from beneath it. And heading for a small fire a foot away, both of which within only a few feet from the big rig.

"Ah, Shit!" BJ grabbed Claire, ignoring her startled yelp, and made a b-line away from the Blazer. Making it only a handful of steps before it exploded, a second, larger explosion quickly following when the tanker's contents was ignited sending both of them slamming into the side of a sedan from the blast.

Ears ringing and groaning from the impact, both of them staggered back to their feet as flames engulfed the street around them. Flaming debris from the wreckage scattered about and lighting up the darkness in all directions.

"That was too close." the Marine muttered, glad that they managed to avoid getting blown to bits. Claire looked at the wall of fire infront of them before movement caught her attention.

"...BJ?" she said, pointing to the burning tanker where several bodies stumbled away from the wreckage. Oblivious to the flames covering their frames as they skulked toward them.

And they weren't alone. The explosion being so loud that any and all undead that were in the area heard it. Coming in and around cars and out of nearby store fronts as they converged on the duo that were now out in the open.

Looking at their opposition, BJ knew that there was only one course of action. "There's too many, come on!" he said as they turned the other way and started running up the street. Ducking down a nearby alley when more zombies cut them off.

One shuffled out from behind a dumpster, but was swiftly put down when Claire shot it in the forehead as they ran past.

"You sure this is the right way?" she asked, cracking open her small revolver and loading bullets into it.

"I know the streets here like the back of my hand." BJ called back, leading them both down a flight of stairs and under a walkway overpass. "This path here should lead us to the same street the police station is on."

Going up another series of steps, the duo stepped out of the alley and back onto the street littered with more cars. And directly across from them, behind tall iron fence, was the Raccoon City police precinct.

"And there it is, come one, we're almost there." said BJ as they jogged through the rain that started to steadily get worse. Several zombies that were milling around among the cars turned as they ran past, their hungry calls echoing as they reached after them.

Avoiding the undead that got too close, doing their best to save ammo before they reached the heavy gate leading into the station's courtyard. Pushing the gate open and closing it behind them, Claire grabbed the lock-bar and slammed it in place as the zombies that had been chasing them started banging on the other side.

"Think it'll hold?" asked Claire, the gate shaking as more undead gathered outside, reaching through the bars at them.

"It should. But to err on the side of caution we better get inside." replied the Marine. They went up the steps leading to the front of the station, both of them with weapons ready as they stood at the door. Preparing themselves for what could be on the other side before they each grabbed a handle and pushed...

The main lobby of the RCPD greeted them with silence. The large room spacious with stairs on either side leading up to the second level balcony above with a third floor above that. In the center of the lobby, a large Goddess statue stood overlooking everything, the sounds of rain filling the void and giving off a haunting feel.

Stepping carefully inside, boots tapping lightly on the marble floors, BJ and Claire took in their surroundings with careful eyes. Dozens of crates of supplies and cots were set up around the lobby with medical equipment, very much a staging area to shelter civilians during the outbreak.

"Where is everybody?" Claire wondered, taking in the lack of people who should have been there.

BJ gently nudged a curtain aside to see a makeshift hospital room set up beside the front door, the two cots set up on the other side covered in bloodstains.

Shaking his head, the Marine moved toward the oak desk where reception was set up. Claire already behind it at a small table where a laptop computer was set up. "Find something?" he asked, coming up beside her.

The Redfield clicked a couple of keys, causing the RPD logo on the screen to disappear and several windows took their place that showed CCTV camera footage.

"Looks like security cameras for the station. These are live feeds." said Claire, searching the windows and hoping to see signs of her brother in one of them.

Movement on the fourth camera had then both focusing on it. A police officer came from around a corner, firing his weapon at something off screen. A couple zombies making themselves known and chasing after him as he ran down another hallway.

"Shit! They're inside too!" Claire cursed. BJ remained silent as the officer appeared on another camera and grab the radio on his shoulder;

_**"David! Marvin! You there?!"**_ he held out his hand toward the camera aimed at him which held a small notebook, _**"I found a way out! It's in here!"**_ one of the zombies chasing him went for a grab but was shoved back and shot twice in the head. _**"Send reinforcements! East Hallway!"**_

The camera feeds were replaced by a map of the precinct's first floor, the officer's location being highlighted in red.

"He won't last long with those things on his tail. We better hurry." said BJ before making his way to the front left corner of the lobby where a metal shutter was closed, sealing off the corridor leading to where they wanted to go. A written sign on cardboard taped to the surface that read **"Keep out"**.

Looking back at Claire who had taken a stance a few feet away with her weapon trained on the shutter. Sending the Marine a nod, he flipped the switch on the wall and backed up with his MK.23 aimed forward as the metal door started to rise.

Only to stop roughly two feet off the ground.

"Shit." BJ walked over and knelt down by the small opening, taking out the flashlight he picked up back at the gas station and shined it into the darkness beyond. Finding a large amount of dried blood on the floor and on the wall across from the shutter.

For the most part, it looked clear. But given what has happened already, that meaning had little merit now.

Lowering himself flat to the ground, the Marine started to combat-crawl through the small opening. "BJ? BJ what are you doing?!" Claire called after him as he slipped under the shutter.

A couple tense seconds passed before a couple of knocks could be heard. "All clear." the Marine's voice came from the otherside.

The young Redfield sighed in relief before she crawled under the shutter like her partner had done. Entering the dark hallway it had blocked off and found BJ standing infront of a fuse box. "The fuse for the emergency door burned out." he said, removing the damaged component and tossing it aside, "It won't open the rest of the way without it."

"Do you normally go on ahead in a dangerous situation without warning people?" asked Claire, a little put off with his sudden action.

"Sorry, force of habit." BJ said, looking farther down the corridor and finding it flooded. His flashlight just barely able to cut through the darkness. "The East Hallway is through here, stay alert, no telling what's lurking."

His companion nodded, weapon in hand as they wadded into the ankle-deep water covering the floor. The Marine keeping his weapon aimed ahead with the other holding his flashlight crossed over his arm with the beam aimed i the same direction. Each step taken was slow and cautious, two sets of eyes searching every shadow for anything that might jump out at them.

Past a set of double doors that led into an empty press room and a small hallway where the restrooms were located, the woman's room being where the flooding was originating from, a metal cabinet laid across the hallway blocking their path. BJ made quick work of moving it upright to clear the way and allowing them passage.

Around the next corner, the duo was greeted with a gruesome sight. Beneath a still active light by the watchman's office ahead, four bodies laid sprawled out in different positions in a massive pool of blood. Two of them police officers, the other two civilians.

"Oh god..." Claire said, sounding sick at the scene.

BJ knelt down by one of the officers, not even bothering to check a pulse given how pale they were along with the smell they were giving off telling him they had been gone for a while.

"HELP!" the duo perked up when they heard shouting coming from the office. Both of them running inside when a loud banging could be heard behind another emergency shutter set up in the back. "HURRY! OPEN UP!" the shouting continued.

"We're here, hang on!" BJ shouted as he and Claire grabbed the bottom of the shutter and pulled up.

"OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR! GET ME OUT OF HERE!" the officer on the other side continued shouting. When the way was open enough, his arms reached into the office and flailed around for purchase.

"Give me your hand!" Claire shouted, grabbing the man's arms and pulling while BJ held the shutter open. The officer's upperhalf came through, rolling on his back while the young woman grabbed his other hand and kept trying to pull him the rest of the way.

A splash of blood erupted from under the door, the officer screamed in agony as the sounds of ripping and tearing could be heard from the other side.

"I got you! Hang on!" Claire tightened her grip and kept pulling until the man came through...but only his upperhalf. A trail of blood, torn tissue and a line of intestines being left in his wake.

The young Redfield dropped the man's arms in sheer horror, BJ doing the same as the shutter slammed down on the pale, bloodied hands that were reaching after the remains of the officer.

The man coughed, shivering violently as his blood continued to flow from his torn waist, his life fading fast. "T-Tell...Marvin..." he rasped weakly.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry." Claire sobbed over him. But the officer had already passed on.

BJ lowered his head, wishing that they had been faster to save him. He reached out and gently closed the man's eyes, sending a silent prayer for him before looking down at his side where the notebook he had been holding onto laid just outside the pool of blood that was still spreading.

Picking it up, the Marine flipped through the pages. Finding most of them blank, but toward the middle he found a series of crude drawings that looked like a map with several key points marked and labeled. One of which was the Goddess statue back in the lobby with three circular objects above it with a question mark over each one.

The next page showed drawings of three different statues, each one with a series of three symbols underneath them.

Deciding to get a better look at the book later, BJ slipped it into his back pocket just as loud banging and hungry growls could be heard behind the shutter. "We should get out of here." he stated.

When he didn't get an answer, he turned to see Claire frozen and still looking down at the body.

"Claire. Claire, look at me" the Marine reached out and shook her, causing the Redfield to jump and snap her attention to him. "Take a deep breath, count to four. Exhale, then count to four again." he instructed.

The brunette took a deep breath, held it then released, all while counting in her head like she had been told. Doing this several times, she felt her anxiety and stress of what had happened start to ebb away.

"How are you feeling? Better?" BJ asked.

Claire nodded, "Y-Yeah..."

"Okay. We need to go. It's not safe here." the Marine pressed gently.

Taking in a shuttering breath, Claire nodded again as she stood up. Doing her best to focus on what they needed to do and not dwell too much on what had happened. She turned to the door of the office with BJ ahead of her-

The door burst open, a zombified police officer growling as he lunged and caught the Marine by surprise. Cold fingers digging into his shoulders like vice grips, driving him back against the desk behind her as it attempted to bite into his face.

"BJ!" Claire was there in two steps and slammed the butt of her weapon against the zombie's head and knocking it away from her companion. BJ regained his footing and grabbed the undead from behind, his arms wrapping tight around the zombie's neck. Applying more pressure, the Marine wrenched the creature's head to the side with a sickening crunch.

As if a switch had been flipped, the zombie went still. Arms releasing the girl in its hold as it went slack in BJ's arms.

Overcoming his surprise at how his tactic had actually worked, he dropped the now completely dead body to the floor. _"So severing the top of the spine works too. Good to know." _he thought to himself.

"You good?" asked Claire

BJ nodded. "Thanks for that."

"You've been saving my ass a lot tonight. Figured I owed you a favor or two." she replied with a half-smile.

BJ sent one back, "Guess we're even, for now at least." They shared a light laugh, despite the situation. Both being thankful at the minor break in the tension. "We need to get back to the lobby, figure out our next step." the Marine said, now serious.

Claire nodded, her revolver ready as they left the watchman's office and went back out into the flooded hallway. Rounding the corner and stopping cold when a pair of zombies began lumbering toward them.

"Shit, they weren't here before." BJ cursed, raising his MK.23.

"Maybe we can-" Claire was cut off when the window behind them shattered, another zombie spilling into the hallway from outside with two others preparing to do the same as the first staggered to its feet.

Weapon registering twice, BJ put down the two undead infront of them and made an opening. "Run!" he shouted as they moved as quickly as they could through the water-logged corridor. Several more zombies appearing out of the woodwork trying to grab them as they ran back the way they came.

Rounding the last corner and making it back to the shutter, they turned and aimed their weapons back down the hallway. "You first, I'll cover you!" the Marine said as they heard the growing horde closing in.

"I'm not leaving you to fight by yourself!" Claire argued.

"Just go! I'll be right behind you!" BJ pressed as the first of the zombies came around the corner. "Claire, NOW!" the soldier fired and took down the leading undead as the others soon appeared.

Against her own instincts, Claire quickly crawled through the opening at the bottom of the shutter while BJ fired at the horde to slow them down. Three more falling under the barrage until the slide of his weapon locked back signalling an empty clip.

Quickly dropping to the floor, he crawled as fast as he could back out into the lobby of the station. Getting almost completely clear of the shutter until a rotting hand grabbed his left ankle and attempted to yank him back.

Rolling onto his back, BJ slammed his heel into the zombie's face in an attempt to get free. "Let go you bastard!"

"Get off him!" Claire screamed, firing a shot from her revolver and splattering the zombie's grey matter on the door. Giving the Marine a chance to get free and crawl away from the opening as another zombie poked its head out.

Before either of the duo could make a move, someone else appeared out of nowhere. Planting their foot on the handle of the shutter and slamming it down onto the undead's skull and crushing it like a watermelon.

"You two alright?" asked the man, who turned out to be an RCPD officer holding a hand to his bloody and bandaged side.

"We're good, thanks for that." said BJ as he got to his feet.

The officer nodded, "Good. You're safe...for now."

**X**

**A/N: They've made it to the city, only to see how bad things have gotten. But it is still just the tip of the iceberg. **

**As you may have noticed, it's a Scenario A storyline, and for those that have asked me a couple times already Leon WILL be in this as well. Believe me, he's too damn awesome in the future to simple leave out. So no worries, our favorite rookie cop will be making his appearance sooner than you think.**

**Loving the support so far guys, keep it coming and I'll keep updating.**


	3. Partners

Having situated themselves in the lobby of the police station, BJ took the time to scour the crates and other supplies that were scattered around while Claire tended to the officer that had given them a hand.

Marvin Branagh turned out to be one of the many officers that had been charged with keeping the station secured during the outbreak. Now he was more than likely the last police officer still alive in Raccoon City.

"So nobody knows what caused this?" Claire asked as she redid Marvin's bandages. His wound was deep and he'd lost a lot of blood already, but the man was still hanging on through sheer willpower.

"There's a lot of theories." Marvin replied, seated on a bench working on the laptop they had looked over earlier. "But all I know for sure is that this place is crawling with zombies."

"Yeah, we got that much." BJ said as he laid everything he had gathered around the lobby on a nearby table. Several boxes of 9mm rounds, some medical supplies, water, and a pair of RPD hip packs for storage, one of which he handed to Claire while clipping the other on himself. "What about the military? Something like this wouldn't go unnoticed by US Brass."

Marvin shook his head, "The first couple of days things only seemed like riots and civil unrest. By the time we realized how bad things were getting, we were pretty much cut off from the rest of the world. You're the first one in military uniform I've seen since this all started."

The officer looked at the younger man and noticed the name patch that had a couple drops of blood stained on it. "Birkin? Any relation to William and Annette Birkin?"

"Yeah, my parents. Was coming home after being discharged to visit my sister Sherry before running into the living dead and Claire here." replied the Marine.

"Not the best homecoming for you, huh?" the officer offered with a sad smile, "Regardless, it ain't pretty, but welcome home soldier."

BJ sent him a thankful smile while loading fresh rounds into an empty pistol clip. Claire took out a walkie-talkie that Marvin had given them.

"Keep that on, just in case." said the officer.

"Won't be around long. Once we find Chris and Sherry, we're outta here." replied the young Redfield.

Marvin looked her over a moment, "So you're really Chris' sister?"

Claire looked at him, now invested. "Yeah, I am. Do you know what happened to him? Where he is?"

"He's on vacation with a couple of friends from STARS. Europe, I think. Left weeks ago." said the officer.

"Vacation?" asked Claire, sounding skeptical. "That's...That's great news."

"What about Sherry?" asked BJ, taking out the photo of him and his sister and showing the man.

Marvin looked the photo over closely, shaking his head. "Sorry, a lot of people evaced here when the outbreak really started getting bad, too many to keep accurate track of. I'm not saying she didn't make it here, but if she's still around she could be anywhere by now. And with all the zombies roaming around..."

The Marine took a deep breath, calming his nerves. "She's alive. If I know Sherry, she'll have holed herself up somewhere when the trouble started...I'm gonna find her."

Claire put a hand on his shoulder, "We both will. I owe you for all the help you've given me so far and then some."

"Got something else for you, too." Marvin said, holding up the notebook the other officer had on him before he died. "Looks like there might be a way out through this secret passage here." he pointed to the tunnel on the map beneath the statue.

"The question is, how do we get there?" wondered BJ, taking the notebook back and turning the page to the one that showed the statue drawings. "It looks like these statues are marked with combinations." he looked up at the lion statue on the upper level of the lobby behind the Goddess statue.

Marvin suddenly groaned, clenching teeth and holding his side as more blood soaked through the new bandages.

"We need to get you to a hospital." said Claire, worried about the man's condition.

"No...Forget about me. I can take care of myself." Marvin waved her off.

"You won't survive like this, you need help-" the young Redfield started.

"Listen, both of you:" the officer said in a no-bullshit tone. "Save yourselves. So you can each see your siblings again." he reached behind him and produced a combat knife in a scabbard. "You're gonna need this."

Claire shook her head, "No, we're not-"

"Claire." BJ said, reaching out and taking the man's knife before kneeling down next to Marvin. "You were bitten, weren't you?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

Marvin nodded, "Yeah...over an hour ago. Bastard caught me off guard. Don't know how much longer I got left, but I'll make the best of it while I can."

"There's gotta be something." Claire pressed, not wanting to see anymore people die.

"I appreciate that, Claire. I really do. But there's nothing anyone can do for me now." said Marvin. "Just, be careful out there. If you see any of those things, no matter who they were, don't hesitate. Take them out if you can, or run. Okay?"

Both younger adults nodded seriously as the officer leaned back on the bench and got as comfortable as he could despite the pain he was in.

BJ and Claire took a few steps away, standing by the table he had been setting supplies up on with a map of the precinct's first floor spread out in the middle. The Marine handing the knife Marvin had given them to his partner where she clipped it to the back of the belt that housed her revolver while he picked up another one he had found and clipping it to his own.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Claire.

"I checked out the Goddess statue while you were helping Marvin. It's got three circular indents in it, probably for some kind of key." BJ answered, showing her the statue drawings. "These three statues are probably where the keys are located, and we got one of them in this room." He made his way up toward the lion statue he saw before, the alpha predator of the Savannah standing tall with its front paw set on the top of a shield.

Giving it a once over before focusing on the odd combination lock set into the base. Holding up the notebook, he rolled each symbol until they matched the ones that were written. When the last one was in place, a loud click was heard and the center of the shield opened to reveal a round, brass colored medallion the size of his palm with a lion embroiled on the front.

Removing the medallion, BJ headed down to the Goddess statue. Placing the object into one of the three empty spaces at the bottom, it clicked into place before the base started to shift. Stones lowing into the floor to revealing iron bars blocking off a set of stairs leading under the station.

"I'll be damned. There really is a secret passage." said Marvin, having seen the whole thing from his resting place.

"And we'll need the two other medallions if we want to get out of here." said BJ, turning to Claire. "That's our plan. We need to find the other statues."

The brunette nodded, "Alright, where do we start?"

X

After gathering everything they would need, the duo went over the map and decided to start their search on the other side of the station. Claire using her knife to remove the tape that sealed the junction box for the shutter controls and flipping the switch allowing them entry to the waiting room leading to the West Hallway.

With weapons at the ready, they entered the corridor and closed the door behind them.

Much like the last one they had been in the lights were out plunging the hall in darkness. Taking out their flashlights and shining them forward, they saw several windows lining the walls were either broken or boarded up, bloody handprints and streaks painting the walls.

The people in the station never had a chance.

Stepping lightly down the hallway, being aware of where their feet were to avoid excessive noise when the sound of static echoing from a body slumped to the floor.

_**"This is 73-Bird...for rescue."**_ the choppy words echoed from the dead officer's radio as Claire and BJ approached. The Marine crouching down next to him and carefully moved his head to reveal his lower jaw barely hanging on by threads of bloody tissue while his face and neck looked like it had been torn into by a rabid animal.

"Poor bastard." BJ muttered, "That's no way to die."

"Neither is this..." added Claire, her flashlight shining on another dead officer who was dangling from the ceiling with a chunk of metal speared through the back of his neck and out his mouth.

BJ shook his head at the fallen men before going through the utility belt of the one in front of him. Finding a full clip of 9mm ammo and pocketing it before going to the hanging body next.

"What are you doing?" asked his companion.

"As horrible as it is to say, we can't do anything for the dead." replied the Marine as he pulled another full clip from the body and handed it to her, "And we need all the help and resources we can get."

Even though part of her was hesitant, Claire knew that he was right. The odds were already against them enough as it was.

"Have you been in a lot of situations like this?" she asked, accepting the clip and putting it into her hip pack.

"I've seen combat, yes." said BJ, looking back at the first body. "Nothing as bad as this though...fighting insurgents is one thing, but flesh eating creatures that were once people? My training never covered this."

Claire nodded, "Yeah, feels like the end of the world. I'm just glad that Chris isn't anywhere near all this..." she trailed off, thinking about what Marvin had told her back in the lobby.

"You don't sound convinced." said the Marine, noticing her change in demeanor.

"I know my brother. The idea of him taking a sudden vacation isn't like him, he's focused and a bit of a workaholic. And he would have told me if he was leaving for any amount of time." said the young Redfield. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I can't help but think that something happened."

BJ nodded, "He was a member of STARS, right? We can check their office and see if he left anything behind." Claire smiled in thanks, making her already pretty face stand out even more.

Even in the dim lighting of the corridor it was hard not to take into account how attractive she was. He'd noticed when they first met, but kept that opinion buried for the sake of getting through the nightmare that had now surrounded them. One would have to be in a coma not to notice her athletic frame hugged comfortably in the outfit she was wearing, and how she handled herself in a bad situation was beyond words as well.

His thoughts on the brunette were broken when something clattered somewhere in the hallway ahead of them. Both of them aiming their weapons into the darkness, waiting for something to appear.

Seconds ticked by, even when nothing showed itself the duo remained on guard. Putting a finger to his lips, the Marine trekked ahead with Claire on his heels, covering any angle in case of an ambush.

Checking one door on their right and finding it locked, the knob marked with a green colored club symbol, they passed through an open doorway where BJ paused a moment when he saw deep gouges carved into the wall next to it that looked like...claw marks?

_"...Zombies didn't make those." _he thought, running his fingers over one of the marks which was roughly an inch deep in the concrete. He turned to Claire who looked hesitant when she saw the marks as well, but managed to put on a brave face as they continued down the hall until it ended at another corner. A zombie standing outside a window infront of them pounding on the glass trying to get inside.

Deciding to leave the undead alone, they slipped past the window while it growled and struck its palms on the frame. Stopping when the corridor ended at a barricade made of tables and wood boards, the duo turned to a set of double doors that were thankfully unlocked.

Inside, they found a large room that looked to have been used as a meeting area. Tables and chairs set up with paper scattered around. Claire went over to one of the tables while BJ went to another door in the corner, the brunette finding an RPD file marked with dates from a couple days prior:

**September 25th**

**We're turning the station into a temporary shelter due to the massive sudden outbreak. All police personnel have been instructed to make the safety of the citizens their top priority as we try to accommodate as many of them as possible.**

**September 25th (addendum)**

**One of the refugees attacked us in the middle of the night, resulting in the death of 1 officer and injuring 3 others. The person in question was quickly restrained. We believe this was simply a case of someone snapping under intense stress.**

**September 26th**

**A mob attacked the station today, resulting in a number of casualties. A few survivors were able to make it safely behind the emergency shutters, but surrounded as we are, it'll be hard for any of us to escape this place. We're not sure we can fix any of our comm equipment, so we remain cut off from the outside world. **

**September 27th**

**There was another clash on the west side of the station around 1pm. Twelve people died, and there is only a handful of survivors left. Everything is falling into disarray in here.**

**David Ford**

"Find anything?" asked the Marine.

Claire sighed, "Just some notes taken by one of the officers here. Things fell apart on them fast." she replied, handing him the documents to read.

"None of them stood a chance. By the time they figured out what was happening, the dead already outnumbered them. And by then this place was already overrun." BJ said, wondering what the men on duty here had done in their last moments as their numbers dwindled. "The other door is locked up with a chain, it's a dead end."

Looking around with her flashlight, Claire stopped when she shined it over a broken window above a stack of wood palates.

"Up there. It looks like it goes to the other side of that barricade we ran into out in the hall."

The Marine followed her line of sight and nodded, "I think you're right. It's the best chance we got." The climb wasn't hard, Claire went first with BJ watching her back before he climbed through after her, being aware of the broken shards still in the frame as he dropped down on the other side in the adjacent hallway. Both of them remaining where they were when they saw a rather portly zombie slamming his hands on a vending machine that was still lit up.

Pulling out his knife, BJ motioned for Claire to stay put as he crept forward. Staying low to the ground and making hardly any noise while the undead remained oblivious. When the soldier was behind it, he stood up and grabbed the hair on its head in a tight grip before stabbing it through the temple.

The zombie jerked from the weapon piercing its head, but just as quickly went still when it hit home.

Pulling the knife free, BJ wiped the blade off on the zombie's clothes before sheathing it again. "Brutal." Claire whispered as she joined him.

"Saves ammo." was his reply as he surveyed the new corridor. The door next to where they had come in was locked, there were two other doors across from each other, one a locker room of some kind and the other a large office, and the end of the hall curved and headed back to a staircase.

"We should split up and check for supplies while we're here." said BJ, motioning to the two doors. "Left or right?"

The brunette looked between them a second, "I got the left." The Marine nodded as he took the office on the right, sending one last nod to his companion as he slipped through the door.

X

Entering the locker room, Claire did a quick sweep and found a lone body laying on the floor a couple feet away with a missing arm.

Not wanting to take any chances, she holstered her revolver and drew her knife. Steeling her resolve as she crouched over the corpse and stabbed it through the temple like BJ had done to the one in the hallway.

Swallowing thickly, she pulled the blade free and wiped it off before putting it away. When she was sure the place was clear, she sat on one of the benches and finally let everything that had happened so far sink in.

When she had left her college campus a state over, she never expected what was waiting for her here in Raccoon. When Chris had fallen out of contact she had thought the worst, the two of them had always been close. Ever since they lost their parents long ago all they had was each other, and Chris did everything in his power to look after her. Teaching her how do defend herself and be prepared when she went out into the world on her own.

She knew her brother, knew that the idea of him taking a sudden 'vacation' was way out of his character. Which made her wonder what had happened to make Chris leave without even telling her? Had he gotten into something? Did it have anything to do with the living dead roaming around? There were too many questions and not a lot of answers.

Leaning back against the locker behind her, Claire let her mind wander to her companion.

If she were honest, she was glad to have someone with her through this nightmare. And she really lucked out with him being a trained soldier, it certainly showed with how he handled himself in a difficult situation and how he was easily able to adapt.

A light blush dusting her cheeks as she began thinking about his rugged appearance. Even with his uniform on she could tell that he was fit from all the training he went through, and when he smiled she couldn't help but smile back with her stomach fluttering.

She'd always been considered a tomboy growing up, not a lot of guys caught her attention. When she got to college she dated a bit, but none of them got the reaction out of her BJ did, and they had just met. There was just something about him...

Shaking her head, pushing those feelings aside for the time being. She needed to focus on them getting out of here, finding BJ's sister and staying alive. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and started examining the locker room for anything useful.

Although her thoughts would occasionally drift to the Marine despite her best efforts.

**X**

**A/N: Their quest has begun, and with the early signs of a pairing making themselves known. I'm not intending on having them jump each other so early, but a lot of people can understand how something like a zombie outbreak can bring people together in a lot of ways.**

**One of my readers has been asking me up and down about possible weapons BJ will be getting in the near future. I already have plans set in place for that, but I'm keeping his arsenal close to the chest for the time being. Don't worry, I think you guys will like what he'll be using.**

**I know the last few chapters have been on the short side, the ones after this will start to get steadily longer. I'm just trying to add a little extra suspense in between in standard RE fashion.**

**Keep reading guys, the next update is already in the works!**


	4. One Step Forward

The offices yielded surprisingly little in terms of supplies.

Upon entry, BJ had noticed a pair of bodies, one slumped over one of seven desks grouped together in the center of the room and the other laid out on the floor of the private office connected to the main room.

Dealing with them both to ensure they didn't suddenly rise again, the Marine went through the cabinets and desks. Searching for anything he and Claire could use on their mission. But aside from a few operation reports, a handful of shotgun shells, and a picture of a statue holding a scepter with a large ruby in one hand and a red book in the other, there wasn't much else.

Pocketing the rounds in his hip pack, BJ went to the last desk he had yet to check which was sealed with a lock on either side of the roll-top cover. A bloodied, handwritten note laid out on it with **'Rookie's First Assignment'** written on it.

Curious, he picked up the message and started reading;

**Leon S. Kennedy, we're putting you on a very special case for your first assignment.**

**Your mission is...to unlock your desk! The key to your success is in the initials of our first names. Input the letters in order of our desks. There are 2 locks, 1 on each side of your desk. Make sure you get them both. **

**Basically, your first task is to remember your fellow officers' names, but you figured that much out, right?**

**Good luck, Leon.**

**By the way, it might take a little work to get Scott to give you a straight answer.**

**\- Lieutenant Branagh**

Turning the page, BJ found more words scribbled in the corner among drops of blood.

**Be glad you're not here, Rookie...**

The Marine set the paper down, "The new guy has no idea how lucky he is." he muttered outloud. Getting a better look at the locks, he saw that they had three dials each with an assortment of letters. Remembering the message, he went around the office a second time and located each of the name plates for the officers that worked there, turning the dials on each lock until the first initial of each first name was lined up. Both locks clicked open easily.

Removing them, BJ opened the desk and found the interior ultimately untouched by anything that had been happening. A notepad and a couple unsharpened pencils were laid out, ready to be used, but there was also something else stashed in a small cubicle in the corner. A small rectangular box eight inches in length.

Pulling the container out, noticing the slight weight to it, he removed the lid and blinked when he saw a black cylinder a couple inches smaller than the box it laid in. A silencer.

"This will definitely be useful." he said with a slight grin, taking out his MK.23 and screwing the silencer onto the barrel. Testing the new weight of his sidearm just as the door opened, his aim snapping toward it just as Claire entered.

"Whoa! It's me!" she said, holding her hands up.

BJ lowered his gun, "Sorry. Any luck?"

"Found a few more rounds and a speed-loader that fits my revolver. There are a couple lockers that are still locked, but the keyboard that unlocks them is missing a couple of keys that we'll need to find." said Claire. "There's also a weapon locker in the back that needs a keycard...there's a grenade launcher and a shotgun with a few rounds for each inside."

"Then we better keep an eye out for any of those keys. We could use the extra firepower." replied the Marine, doing another quick scan of the room. "This place is picked clean, and the door in the back leading to the main atrium is locked. Our best bet now is to check the upper floors."

Claire nodded as they headed back out into the corridor, weapons ready as they followed the path ahead of them to the back of the station.

Loud banging echoed through the hallway, the noise coming from the window at the base of the staircase that led to the upper floors. A lone zombie on the other side was slamming their hands against the glass, trying to get inside.

"Good thing they don't know how to open doors and windows." BJ commented.

The glass cracked and then shattered with the next hit, rain and debris clattered to the floor as the undead fell into the room.

"Doesn't mean they can't get in!" Claire added, her weapon up as the zombie rose to its feet. Groaning in hunger as it came after them. The brunette fired three shots, one missing its target while the other two drilled through its forehead and taking it down.

BJ snapped his gaze to the broken window, hearing more moaning as two more zombies attempted to get through. His weapon chirped twice, the sound muffled by the new silencer, both rounds hitting the one in front and sending it toppling back outside.

Crossing the room in a few quick strides, the Marine drew his knife in his other hand and stabbed it through the eye socket of another zombie that tried to climb in behind the first. "Find something to barricade the window!" he shouted to his companion, both of his weapons at the ready to keep anymore undead from getting inside.

Claire acted fast, looking around for anything to cover the opening. Finding a handful of two-by-fours leaning against a wall with a hammer and a box of nails on a nearby crate she holstered her weapon and grabbed the supplies before running over to where BJ was holding off the undead still trying to get into the station.

The duo made quick work of boarding up the window, switching off an on keeping the gathering horde outside at by while the other nailed the boards in place. When it was secured, they stepped back when grey, torn and rotting arms reached in after them.

"Think it'll hold?" asked the young Redfield, revolver back in hand.

"Don't know, but just to be safe we better get moving." said BJ, taking the stairs with Claire right on his heels. Reaching he landing above and finding the body of a police woman slumped against the wall infront of them.

The Marine approached slowly and crouched beside it, taking out his knife and stabbing the corpse through the temple to be sure she didn't rise again before going through her utility belt.

Coming up with a clip and a handful of spare rounds that he stored away.

Standing back up, BJ turned to Claire when he caught movement from behind her. "CLAIRE!" he shouted, the brunette spun around as another zombie in a police uniform tried to grab her.

The Marine went to raise his MK.23, but found himself surprised when Claire suddenly dropped low and kicked the undead in the midsection, sending it stumbling back. She followed up by jumping upward and swinging her left leg around in a wide kick to the side of the zombie's head, sending it into the railing beside them where it pitched over it and fell to the tiled floor below headfirst with a loud crunch.

Relaxing her stance, Claire turned back to BJ who stood wide eyed at her skills. "What?" she asked, "My brother taught me a few things before I went to college."

"I can see that." the Marine said impressed. Looking over the railing and seeing the zombie laying in a mangled heap on the ground floor in a growing pool of blood.

With no other threats nearby, the duo began checking the second floor. Finding most of the doorways locked and metal shutters sealing off most of the corridors, they managed to find one door open to them that led into the men's locker room.

They were both hit with a blast of heat and moisture from a wall of steam coming out of a pipe on the left where the showers were located, effectively cutting off the way through. BJ approached the damaged pipes carefully, wiping sweat from his forehead while trying to find a way to cut off the steam. But the valve was missing, making it a dead end.

Shaking his head the, Marine stepped back. A sudden shriek from Claire having him whirl around with his gun ready to see the brunette standing beside an open locker with a bloodied body on the floor at her feet.

"You okay?" he asked, kicking the corpse.

Claire swallowed thickly and nodded, "Y-Yeah...just wasn't expecting a body stashed in a locker."

BJ looked back to the wall of steam, "The way through his blocked. Unless we can find a valve to turn off the steam we're stuck." he said shaking his head.

"Maybe we should head back to the atrium, maybe Marvin can give us a hand." offered the young Redfield.

"We still have another floor above us. We'll check that out first before heading back to the Lieutenant." the Marine stated before he started to check the other lockers. Being sure to be careful if anymore bodies were in hiding.

Finding only a handful of personal items and an RPD portable lockbox that Claire stashed in her pack to check over later, they left the locker room and made their way up the stairs to the third floor.

Unlike the previous levels, this one looked like a mess. Broken walls, cracked masonry and various tools and supplies for construction laid about.

"What happened here?" asked Claire. "The undead do this?"

"No. The precinct used to be a museum that they were in the process of converting when I went to basic." replied BJ. "They were probably still in the middle of finishing the renovations when everything fell apart."

They entered a small office through a hole in the wall and found a light on the lone desk by the window. And laying on the surface beside a small statue was a key with the handle end sculpted into a spade and was colored a soft blue.

"Pretty sure this goes to some of the doors we passed by earlier." said BJ, pocketing the key, "Might make our job a little easier."

Claire shined her flashlight on the door that led out of the room. "Any idea where this goes?"

"One way to find out." the Marine turned the knob and pushed the door open slowly. The old hinges creaking and the smell of old wood and dust filled the air as they entered the long, dark hallway on the other side.

Both flashlights on, BJ and Claire treaded softly. Being careful to make as little noise as possible to avoid attracting anything that might be lurking in the shadows.

Rain pelted the windows in an endless torrent, lightning flashing in the distance and making the moment feel all the more ominous.

The duo were a couple feet from the turn in the corridor when something moved across the window infront of them. "What the hell was that?!" Claire whispered loudly, revolver trained on the window.

BJ was doing the same, the brief glance he'd gotten at whatever it had been made it look bipedal. Crawling along the outside before it disappeared out of sight. It had happened so quick he couldn't see any defining features, however.

"Don't know. But we should get out of here, and fast." BJ said just as softly. Both of them quickening their pace round the corner and toward the other end, moving around more pallets of wood and other construction supplies until they reached a door leading out.

Though, they paused when they saw a bloodied note pinned to the wood surface with a broken knife blade. Claire reached up and pulled the note free and started reading it;

**Consider this a gift for anyone still unfortunate enough to be alive.**

**Keep your eyes peeled for those creepy fucks that looked like they were skinned alive; Lickers, we call'em. They're blind as bats, but their hearing more than makes up for that. **

**So long as you don't run around like a total idiot, guns a-blazing, you should be able to slip right by them...probably.**

**Either way, make like my grandma and creep around as slow as possible around 'em, yeah?**

**Anyway, not that I wanna go, but duty calls. That, and I've got a friend to avenge.**

**\- David**

"...Lickers?" wondered the brunette, an edge of unease in her tone as she handed the note to BJ. The Marine read the message again before looking back toward the window where they'd seen the unknown creature.

MK.23 aimed in that direction, he carefully opened the door with the other and motioned to Claire to get inside. Slipping through after she did and closing the door behind him.

The duo was greeted with the sight of a crumbling room filled with furniture, artwork and shelves filled with books.

"This must be where they stored everything during the renovations." BJ stated as they started to pick their way through the room, being weary of the cracked walls and the partially collapsing ceiling above them.

Claire had managed to find a half-full box of 9mm rounds toward the far back beside a broken bookshelf when she caught something in the corner of her eye. Approaching the farthest wall that was covered in metal bars and broken drywall, she saw a statue of a woman holding a vase on her shoulder standing on the other side.

"BJ, over here." she said, the Marine coming over to join her. "It's one of the statues we're looking for...but how do we get to it?"

BJ looked around for something that could help them get through when he saw something attached to the wall beside them.

Shining his flashlight on it...he froze in place.

"Claire...back away."

The young Redfield looked up at him before following his line of sight where his light was shining over two bricks of C4 stuck to the surface. She immediately backed up a couple of steps while the Marine approached with caution, looking over the military grade plastic explosives with sharp, trained eyes.

A couple seconds passed before he breathed out a sigh of relief. "It's okay. There's wires but no detonator."

Claire released a breath as well, "Thank God. On top of everything else, getting blown up is up there with getting eaten alive."

BJ nodded in agreement as he stood up and continued to look through this section of the room for a way through to the other side to the statue. Finding a note on a cracked table beside the pillar across from the wall itself;

**Damn those corporate assholes! They cut me off! After all I've done for them! But if that's how it's gonna be, so be it. I'm gonna have a little fun of my own as the world goes to shit.**

**I boarded all those filthy pigs up in a steel pen, and set some C4. All I gotta do is detonate it and it's sayonara suckers!**

**But it's no fun if it's over too soon, so maybe I'll give that one raving loon something to really squeal about.**

**Yeah, maybe I'll give him a little toy and tell him, "kill the guy next to you and I'll spare the others", I wonder what he'll do.**

**You yell about 'justice' and 'pride' bu how many times did you go against me, your own superior? **

**Yeah, you're such a good cop...So good you had to die.**

**Man this is fun. I need some music for this.**

The paper crumpled in BJ's grip, anger flaring through him. "What is it?" asked Claire, seeing his mood darkening.

"Someone here lost their shit and was preparing to blow up innocent people for their own twisted fun." he replied, throwing the note away. Looking back at the explosives, then the statue he shook his head. "We're not getting through that right now, maybe we can find something to help us elsewhere. For now we should keep moving."

Leaving the statue behind them for now, the partners went through the only other doorway in the storage room and had to blink when they were suddenly in a well lit library. The door they had gone through opening up to the walkways above the main floor.

_**"Claire, it's Marvin. How fast can you and Birkin get back here?" **_Claire's radio crackled to life with the Lieutenant's voice coming through.

The brunette took the walkie off her belt and hit the talk button, "What's going on?"

_**"I got something to show the two of you. It's important**_._**"**_

"We're on our way." Claire clipped the radio back on her belt when she felt BJ bump her shoulder and pointed below them.

Four zombies could be seen milling around, two of them feeding on a corpse close to the door that would lead them back out to the main atrium.

"How good are you at range shooting?" the Marine asked with a smirk.

Claire smirked back, held her weapon up and fired. The round going through the back of a female zombie's head, splattering blood and grey matter on the bookshelf she'd been facing.

BJ nodded, "Alright then." he raised his own weapon and fired as well, taking down both zombies that were eating while his companion took out the last one that was near the stairs leading to the bottom floor.

When everything was clear they went down the steps, guns still in hand just incase any of the bodies moved.

Reaching the bottom, BJ paused. "Wait." he said, causing Claire to stop and look at him questioningly. The soldier looked toward the door that was closest to the stairs, wracking his brain for a moment before he grinned and approached it.

The young Redfield followed after him and was surprised to find them in a small room with marble tiled floors and decorated walls.

But the real eye-catcher was the unicorn statue at the head of the room. It's front hoof resting on a shield similar to the one on the lion statue they encountered in the precinct's main room.

BJ quickly fished out the notebook, finding the page he needed and started dialing in the combination on the statue's base. When the last symbol was in its proper place, a loud click was heard and the center of the shield opened up to reveal another medallion that they needed.

"Two down, one to go." the Marine stated as he removed the key-piece from its housing.

"Almost there." Claire agreed as they left the room and headed toward the library's exit. Using the 'Spade' key they had found to unlock the door and going out onto the balcony level above the atrium's main floor.

Marvin was still in his spot when they went down to his level. The officer looking more pale compared to the last time they had seen him and his bandages were soaked with a lot more blood as well.

"There you two are," he grunted softly, "Heard the gunshots and thought the worst."

"We're fine, Lieutenant. What's going on?" asked BJ.

"Here I'll show you." Marvin hit a few keys on the laptop and brought up a camera feed from outside the station. The footage showing a young man gun down two zombies before making his way inside the courtyard.

"Another survivor?" asked Claire with hope.

The Lieutenant nodded and coughed a bit, "Not for long...if the zombies get to him first. That courtyard can be reached through the second floor on the east side of the station. You need to hurry."

"Got it." said BJ, taking out the new medallion they'd gotten and putting it in one of the two remaining slots on the statue. More of the base shifted, forming more of an opening that would hopefully lead them out of here.

Task done, the Marine nodded to his partner and they set off once again. Hoping to save the other survivor before it was too late.

**X**

**A/N: After a long break, it's good to be back. **

**Still working on my own modifications to the cannon story for the series, really have to with two protagonists together through this nightmare. But it'll all even out when it's needed most. **

**But there is still a long way to go before they get anywhere near salvation.**

**A lot of folks have questioned about BJ being station in Iraq in 1998. I did my research, and even though we weren't technically at war with them at the time, our military still had a presence over there back then. Whether it was for peacekeeping, security or something else entirely I'm not completely sure, but our men and women were over there back in the late 90's and I rolled with it. I apologize for any confusion, definitely wasn't my intention.**

**Regardless, this story is back on track. So read and review to your content and I'll have an update up hopefully soon!**


	5. A Quiet Place

After leaving the atrium, BJ and Claire entered a small waiting room on the second floor.

"I didn't ask this before, but who turns a museum into a police station?" the brunette asked, reading a pamphlet she found on the main desk.

"The city built a new museum years ago and decided to use the old building for the RCPD. This place is pretty old, so they must have thought about keeping it for the sake of the city's history or something like that." replied the Marine, using the 'Spade' key to unlock the door that would help lead them to the courtyard Marvin pointed them toward.

Opening the door, they stepped out into the dark hallway on the other side. The path to the left was blocked by a metal shutter and the door across from the one they went through held paintings and statues and not much else.

They had just started going down the only available path to their objective when an a loud crash suddenly rocked the entire building. Making them both stagger about.

"What the hell was that?!" Claire shouted. BJ jogged the rest of the way with the young Redfield behind him, smoke billowed from around the corner of the hallway, filling the small space quickly and forcing them to go out the door leading to the fire escape outside.

The sight that greeted them when they stepped out into the pouring rain was both unexpected and horrifying.

A helicopter had crashed into the side of the police station. The compartment, propellers and cockpit a mangled mess that sparked among the debris of the hallway it now rested within. From where they were standing, the duo could make out the pilot, but he wasn't moving.

"Shit..." BJ muttered as he surveyed the wreckage. Claire shined her light over it, hoping to see any sign of life and was disappointed.

"Hey! Hey you up there!"

The partners looked over the railing and saw the young man Marvin had shown them on the CCTV cameras. "Is there anyway you can help get me inside?!" he called up to them.

"Hang on, we're on our way down!" the Marine shouted back as he and Claire went down the steps while the survivor tried to open the door leading out of the courtyard.

"Dammit." he cursed, finding the gated door locked tight. "You two alright? That chopper just came out of nowhere."

"We've been through worse." said Claire. "Got a name, stranger?"

"Leon. Leon Kennedy. I got into town not long ago and ran into...well..." Leon trailed off.

"Zombies?" BJ finished for him. He caught sight of the RPD patch on the shirt under his jacket. "You a cop?"

Leon nodded, "Yeah, supposed to be my first day on the job. Are there others inside?"

Claire and BJ shared a look, "There's another officer, Marvin Branagh. But he's injured, bitten. He's not going to make it much longer." the young Redfield stated.

"Shit..." the rookie cursed, running a hand through his hair. "I take it neither of you have a key to get through this?" he asked while rattling the gate.

"Sorry, no. Most of the building is sealed off. The corpses have this place overrun too." said BJ. "There might be another entrance on the other side of the building, if you hurry and keep quiet you might-"

The chopper behind them exploded, the fuel leaking from the tanks getting ignited from the damaged circuitry and sending flaming debris raining down in different directions.

The trio slowly stood back up, BJ having used his body to shield Claire from the blast just incase. "Fuck. Just when shit can't get any worse." the Marine muttered as the shrill sound of the stations fire alarms rang loudly.

Claire looked through the fence and tensed up. "Leon, you need to get moving. Now!" she said when she saw the iron fence on the other side of the courtyard start to shake violently as the horde of undead on the other side rammed themselves against it.

"Get to safety you two." the young officer said, drawing his weapon.

"Yeah, yeah, we're good. Worry about yourself rookie, MOVE!" BJ shouted, firing his own weapon through the gate when a zombie got too close to Leon who nodded his thanks to the Marine before running off down the path and out of sight.

More undead started to make themselves known and the duo thought it best to get back inside before they were boxed in.

Not wanting to try their luck with the burning hallway back where they had come from, they tried the door on the ground floor. BJ grabbed a pair of bolt cutters laying near an open toolbox and used them to cut the chain keeping the door sealed shut, allowing entry.

"Marvin, it's bad out here. There's zombie's everywhere!" Claire said into her radio.

But she received no response.

"Marvin? Marvin are you there? Marvin?!" the brunette looked at her radio, "Something's wrong."

"We need to get back there." said BJ seriously as they stepped into the building out of the rain. Finding themselves in the East Corridor they had been in back when they first got to the station.

A zombie that had been facing away from the door turned around and was swiftly met with the heavy end of the bolt cutters, caving it's skull in and sending it hard to the floor.

Shaking the blood off the tool, BJ went toward the double doors past the watchman's office and cut away the chain on them as well. Kicking the doors open, he and Claire stormed the large office room beyond filled with desks.

The duo made quick work of taking out the zombies roaming around before they split up and searched for anything useful.

Claire managed to find 9mm bullets, a flashbang grenade and a large fuse that looked like it would fit the missing circuit box for the shutter at the end of the East Corridor.

As for the Marine, after clearing out a few desks he checked the small office separate from the rest of the room and found a bright red valve wheel sitting on the lone desk. Remembering the steam blocking the way back in the men's locker room, he dropped the bolt cutters and picked up the valve before rejoining Claire back in the main room.

"Found some bullets, a grenade and a fuse for the shutter outside." the brunette reported her findings.

"I found us a way through that steam wall up on the second floor." BJ said holding up the valve. "Lets get back to the atrium."

After removing the chairs and books used to barricade the other set of double doors, they stepped back out into the corridor. Thankful that there weren't any undead in their way, Claire snapped the fuse in the proper place and the shutter immediately started raising, allowing them entry back into the main atrium.

"Marvin?" the young Redfield called out, her voice echoing through the spacious room. The duo went up toward the Goddess statue, expecting the worst when they found the Lieutenant laying on the bench he had been sitting on.

BJ went to the man's side and checked his pulse, his skin was very pale, hot to the touch and clammy. But he could feel a faint pulse beneath his fingers.

"He's alive...but not doing well." he said before turning to his companion. "Whatever the hell this virus is, it's ravaging him from the inside out."

"Isn't there anything we can do for him?" Claire implored, wanting to do something, anything, for the man that had helped them.

The Marine shook his head, "There's nothing we can do, Claire. Just make him comfortable."

**X**

After setting up a cot and getting the Lieutenant situated on it and being sure he was comfortable, BJ and Claire took a few minutes to go through their supplies before going back out into the station again.

BJ was dealing with their ammo situation, refilling clips and speed-loaders while taking stock in what they had left.

_"Six mags, five speed-loaders and a handful of spare rounds."_ the Marine thought as he looked over their munitions. They also had a full box of shotgun shells and the flashbang grenade Claire had found.

It wasn't much, but it would get them through if they conserved their ammo.

"Shit!" he looked up hearing Claire's curse, seeing her struggling with the portable lockbox she'd found in the locker room. Pressing the buttons on the case and trying to light up the green lights in the right order.

"There's gotta be something important in here if it's that hard to-" she stopped when all the lights came on in the right sequence and made a soft jingle before the lockbox popped open. "Yes! Now let's see what's..." The brunette gave another yip of excitement when she pulled out a keycard that had **'Weapons Locker Keycard'** imprinted on the front.

"Something good?" asked BJ.

"The keycard for that weapon locker!" Claire replied holding up her prize.

The Marine grinned, "Then we know our first stop before hitting the upper levels." After dividing their supplies between them, they immediately set out to the weapon storage room.

Using the 'Spade' key to unlock the office BJ had scoured through earlier and making a shortcut to where they needed to go. Reaching the locker that held a W-870 shotgun and a GM-79 grenade launcher with ammo for each on the shelves beside them.

Claire swiped the card through the reader and unlocked the cage, pulling the door open and allowing them to claim their new weapons. The young Redfield staking claim on the grenade launcher while BJ picked up the shotgun.

"This, will make things a lot easier." the Marine said as he loaded fresh shells into the shotgun. He looked up and saw Claire slipping an explosive round into the launcher while stashing the rest in her pack. "Might want to save those as best you can, we're still in tight quarters here."

"Trust me, I'm not planning on blowing _us_ up." replied the brunette as she slung the launcher over her shoulder using the strap attached to it.

They left the storage room and made their way toward the stairs, BJ in the front with his new shotgun leading. The boarded window they fixed up the last time they passed through was still holding strong even with a couple of zombies trying to get through.

Going up the steps two at a time, they got to the second level and entered the men's locker room. BJ unclipped the valve wheel from his belt and fixed it into place, cranking it to the right a handful of times until the steam blocking the way turned off to reveal the showers...

With a gaping hole in the wall on the other side leading into the room on the other side.

"What the..." Claire said, approaching the opening with a bewildered expression. Almost the entire wall had been knocked down as if something had gone _through_ it.

"Best not to think about it. For now at least." BJ stated, although he was more than a little concerned of exactly what had caused the damage.

Stepping carefully though to the laundry room on the other side, the duo checked for anything useful before going through the door that opened up to the dark hallway beyond.

Weapons ready, the duo started making their way forward. Cool air brushing against their faces from a shattered window ahead of them that had rain pouring in onto the wooden floors. The sound also filling the silence as they passed a couple of bodies.

Claire stopped suddenly infront of a door to their left. The insignia for the Special Tactics And Rescue Service (STARS) marked on the surface.

"This is the office Chris worked for." she said before opening the door and stepping inside. BJ entered behind her and closed the door before getting a better look at the well lit room.

He'd heard about the STARS a couple years ago. An elite group of specialists that were meant to deal with cases normal law enforcement couldn't handle, similar to SWAT but had a wider skill set in comparison.

With everything that was going on, the Marine couldn't help but wonder where they were during this outbreak.

The place looked like the people who had been here were in the process of packing up. Boxes filled with files and other supplies were scattered around and the radio equipment situated in the back of the room looked like it hadn't been touched in a while.

BJ tried his luck with the radio, hoping to get in contact with someone, anyone, that could help them. But nothing turned on when he flipped the correct switches.

"Dammit." he muttered before turning toward where his companion was.

Claire was over by one of the desks against the far wall that had a leather jacket on a hook beside it bearing an angel on the back, searching through the drawers for something.

_"It must have been her brother's desk." _the Marine thought, deciding to leave her be for the moment and started looking around to see if the STARS had left something behind.

The first thing he found was the sealed off corner of the room that was similar to the weapon storage area they had just been in. Inside was another gun locker, wide open and revealing a MQ-11 submachine gun and an AR-15 assault rifle inside.

BJ looked at the familiar rifle and immediately tried to open the door, but found it sealed tight with an electronic lock that was connected to the computer set up on the desk next to it.

Trying the computer, his frustration mounted when he was denied entry. Only someone with the proper clearance could gain access to the weapon storage. He sent another look at the automatic weapons and vowed to be back for them later if he could.

Moving on, he tried the desk immediately across from the cage. The name plate on the desk read **'Barry Burton'**, and from what he could see the man must have been the team's weapon specialist given the many empty weapon mod boxes scattered around.

The Marine came up with a couple pistol clips in the drawers but nothing else. But when he tried the few boxes he found something unexpected.

A small black metal box, no bigger than a calculator with a couple of switches on the front next to an LED read out and a couple of wires sticking out of the top. BJ didn't need his military training to tell him that it was a detonator.

His mind flashed back to the bricks of C4 on the wall he and Claire discovered on the third floor. It was risky, but it might be the only way to get through to the final statue.

Checking the device over, BJ found that it was missing a battery, 9-Volt if he wasn't mistaken. And as luck would have it, there was an open box of them on the desk.

Taking one of the batteries and slipping it into place, the LED display on the detonator came on with a pair of zeros. Ready to be primed and activated.

_"Now all we have to do is get back to the attic and-"_

"Dammit Chris!" Claire suddenly exclaimed, slamming her fists on the top of her brother's desk. "You couldn't have left something behind?! A note, a phone number, something?!"

The brunette bowed her head, her shoulders shaking as she tried to keep her emotions together. "Where...Where are you big brother?" she muttered softly. A hand on her arm had her looking up into BJ's crystal-blue eyes, showing both concern and sympathy.

His strong arms pulled her into an embrace, firm, but gentle enough for her to push away if she wanted to. Only, the young Redfield had no intention of doing so.

Her face burrowed into the crook of his neck, arms wrapping around his tightly just as the first sob broke through. Within moments she was crying into his uniform jacket, the stress of the nightmare they were in, the anxiety over the well being of her brother, and the crushing loneliness with the thought of losing the only family she had left finally overwhelming her.

BJ was silent, offering the comfort Claire desperately needed in that moment. Though a selfish part of him took comfort from her embrace as well. His own worry for his little sister bleeding through as he held the brunette close.

Right now, they only had each other to make it through this. But at the very least they weren't alone.

**X**

Several minutes ticked by before the partners broke apart slowly.

"Thanks, BJ...Sorry about-" the Marine held up a hand, cutting Claire off.

"It's fine, Claire. Really. I'm in the same boat as you." BJ replied with a smile of understanding.

Claire looked up at him, biting her lip. "How do you do it? How are you able to keep things together so well?"

Thinking about it a moment, the Marine took a deep breath before answering. "Some of it is due to my training, the rest is my focus to find Sherry. Even though things look slim, she's smart, I know that she's out there, somewhere. Everything else doesn't seem as important until I find her."

"What about me?" asked the brunette, almost regretting it when the words left her mouth. She didn't want to put him on the spot like that after he'd helped her so much. He could have left her behind at that gas station, instead he got her into the city and stuck by her through everything up to this point.

He even offered comfort in her moment of need.

BJ just smiled at her, "We're partners in this, Claire. And I made you a promise too. We're all getting out of this city, together."

Claire smiled back, her stomach fluttering from the soldier's words. Her eyes roaming over his his handsome features a moment before settling on his lips.

Maybe it was the stress of the situation, the constant stream of adrenaline going through her system, or it was simply the fact that she was with someone who she could relate to on many levels. Whatever the reason, the urge to move up the few inches that separated them and press her lips with his was hard to ignore.

From his point of view, BJ was going through something similar. The feelings he experienced before coming back with avengence as he took in the brunette's beautiful features. Despite the few spots of blood and dirt that were visible, she was by far the prettiest thing he'd ever seen.

Without either of them knowing they drew closer to one another. Claire's head tilting up and to the side while BJ leaned down to meet her half-way...

A loud crash out in the hallway shattered the moment entirely just before they could touch. On instinct they both had their sidearms aimed at the door and waited.

Several seconds passed, but nothing else happened. Allowing them to relax their stance just a little.

"We should get moving. I found a detonator for the explosives in the attic, we'll be able to get to the last statue." BJ said, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"Y-Yeah...Yeah. Good idea..." Claire did the same, avoiding eye contact with red tinting her cheeks at what almost happened between them.

Taking a minute to gather themselves, the duo stepped back out into the corridor and noticed another window had been smashed inward, more than likely from the storm still raging outside.

BJ caught movement in the shadows beyond the broken window and saw a lone zombie stumbling toward them. Raising his MK.23 to put it down, he never got the chance to pull the trigger when something long and pink suddenly shot down from above and speared the walking corpse through the head and yanked it toward the ceiling.

Startled, the Marine and the young Redfield slowly raised their flashlights upward until they shined on something that shook them to their core.

On the ceiling above was a creature that looked like a person with all the skin peeled off feasting on the body it had just captured. Red and pink muscle flexed and shifted with each minor movement, its spinal column stuck out like spikes along its back with a few other bones sticking out as well.

Claws that were almost machete-like in length and probably just as sharp dug into the ceiling tiles with ease, keeping it in place while it fed with a loud series of crunches and blood pouring down onto the floor.

The creature released the body, dropping it to the floor with a loud thud. Revealing a head with an exposed brain and a mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth, a long, serpentine tongue with spikes on the end lashed back and forth with a loud hiss vibrating from deep within its throat.

Claire shivered, fear crawling up her spine, unable to take her eyes away from the abomination that had made itself known. She raised her revolver, but BJ's hand quickly shot out and stopped her.

Giving him a startled look, the Marine put a finger to his lips before pointing up at the creature then covering his eyes. The brunette looked back up at it and saw, despite its horrific appearance, it didn't have eyes.

Meaning it was blind.

Before either of them made a move, the creature made one first. Dropping from the ceiling and landing on the floor, its claws tearing into the carpet as it hissed, tongue lashing the air as it searched for another meal.

BJ backed up, Claire in step with him as they kept their distance. Recalling the note they found on the upper floor about something called a 'Licker', the description alone matched what they were looking at, that and the long tongue seemed to match the name completely.

With this in mind, the Marine bent down and picked up a glass bottle that was laying on the floor by his foot. His eyes locked on the 'Licker' as it continued to sit and listen for anything as he tossed the bottle over its head and down the corridor where it shattered.

The reaction was almost instant. The Licker spun around and released a garbled shriek before as it lunged after the loud sound. BJ and Claire took that moment to back pedal and slip through the door back into the laundry room.

"What the fuck was that?!" Claire said lowly, not wanting to risk getting the attention of the creature out in the hall.

"Pretty sure it was the 'Licker' we read about in that note, definitely fits the profile." replied BJ as he took a steady breath as he remembered how fast it moved after he had thrown the bottle. "I think it's best we follow the advice given and try to avoid it as much as possible. And keep our eyes open incase there are more roaming around."

The brunette nodded before they backtracked to the stairwell and went up to the third floor, following the familiar path to the crumbling room where the final statue was being held.

BJ took out the detonator and fixed it to the explosives with steady hands. Attaching the wires to where they needed to be and setting the timer to 15 seconds with his finger hovering over the start button.

"We got fifteen seconds. When I hit the switch, take cover in the back of the room." he instructed to his companion. Claire nodded seriously as he hit the switch, both of them immediately ran to the far end of the room and ducked down behind the large pile of broken furniture by the door and braced themselves.

When the timer ran out, the entire room shook violently when the explosives went off. Chunks of masonry, drywall and metal flew around the room from the blast, some of the furniture closest to the wall shattered and was also thrown about.

A couple seconds passed before Claire and BJ stood up, shaking the dust off themselves before they came around and checked the damage.

"...wow." the brunette said in awe when she saw the amount of damage that had been caused.

The entire back wall was gone, large cracks and chunks of debris sticking out of a few places. The ceiling had collapsed in a couple places and various shelves that survived the explosion were knocked over.

"A pound and a half of C4 will do that." BJ said as they approached the open space. Thankful that the statue hadn't been damaged in the blast.

A couple of bodies on the floor around the statue groaned and began to rise, but were swiftly put down by the duo as before approaching their objective.

"Care to do the honor's?" asked the Marine as he handed the notebook to Claire. The brunette smile and took it from him before something moving behind him caught her eye.

"BJ!"

A long tongue shot forward and wrapped around BJ's neck, yanking him back hard almost giving him whiplash as he was thrown back into the room. Crashing through a bookshelf against the wall and leaving him aching and disoriented.

He couldn't reflect on what had happened too long when through his slowly refocusing vision he saw the grotesque image of a Licker began to skulk toward him, hissing like a large serpent prepared to strike.

The Marine just barely registered the immediate danger as the beast lunged, claws and teeth prepared to kill.

**X**

**A/N: It's been a while since I left things at a cliffhanger. Can't think of a better time than now.**

**BJ and Claire had a bit of a moment, and although things are moving a bit quick anyone could admit a scenario like this can bring people together in a multitude of ways. Especially when they understand each other in such a way. **

**I've got back in the groove of things pretty well and am already hard at work on the next chapter. Keep the reviews coming and I'll be sure to make it another good one.**


	6. Reunion

During his training, BJ had learned from his superiors that there would be moments where he would only have a split second to make a decision. And the outcome of such a swift decision could mean life or death.

One of such moments was happening right then and there. With a deadly abomination with claws and teeth prepared to turn him to ribbons.

Time seemed to slow down to a crawl, the Licker drawing closer as BJ felt his adrenaline kick into overdrive. The Marine quickly jerked left and rolled out of the way just before the creature's claws tore through the wall and floor like it was tissue paper.

Getting to his feet, he narrowly dodged the Licker's sharp tongue. The barbs slicing into the arm of his jacket and just barely missing the skin underneath.

Unable to pick up his dropped shotgun, BJ quickly drew his handgun and fired several shots. Each round hitting their target, making the creature shriek in alarm and pain before leaping up into an opening in the ceiling and disappearing.

Weapon trained on where the Licker had vanished, the Marine took a couple steps back, being as quiet as possible with all his senses alert as he heard loud scratching coming from somewhere in the room.

Claire came up beside him, her entire stance filled with tension with here eyes flickering back and forth. "Where is it?" she whispered, hands tight on her revolver.

BJ didn't say anything at first, instead focusing on the immediate threat. "Get the medallion, I'll cover you." he spoke softly, holstering his handgun and reaching down to pick up his shotgun.

The brunette hesitated a moment before nodding and going back to the statue. Cursing silently when she saw that the symbols on the secret lock were faded as she started trying to get it open.

Weapon held tight in his hands, BJ kept it raised. Scanning every shadow of the room incase the Licker made another appearance.

The thing may have been blind, but it definitely had sharp hearing. And if what he had went through with its tongue a moment ago, it had a great deal of strength as well. But what the fuck was it?!

It had the body of a person, but acted like a vicious animal. Some kind of mutation maybe? Because there was no way in hell it was created by nature.

The Marine could feel the adrenaline coursing through him, his heart pounding in his ears. He felt like he was back in the field, patrolling local villages, prepared for danger to appear at a moment's notice.

Only this time it wasn't other humans with guns...

He snapped his attention to a corner, shotgun aimed in that direction but found nothing there. _"Where the fuck is it?"_ he thought sharply, _"It can't see, but it knows there's prey here. No way it gave up."_

The only sounds in the room were the soft grinding and clinking of metal behind him as Claire worked on the statue. BJ's eyes widened and he turned around just as the brunette managed to get the last symbol in place and took the medallion from its hiding place.

"I got it-" the ceiling behind her collapsed, the Licker dropping down from above and landed on its hunches. Claire didn't have a chance to react as its tongue shot out like a serpent and wrapped tightly around her throat, causing her to drop her weapon and the medallion as she grabbed the appendage choking the life out of her.

BJ crossed the distance fast, drawing his knife in one hand and slashing upward. The blade slicing clean through the beast's tongue.

The Licker screamed, blood spraying about as it retracted its severed tongue and back peddled. Claire dropped to her knees, removing the piece around her neck and gasping for air while the Marine unloaded two shells into the creature in quick succession.

"Claire! You okay?!" he said over the gunfire and the monster's screams of pain.

She nodded, grabbing her revolver and joining him in shooting the thing that tried to strangle her. The Licker shuddered under the barrage, hissing loudly before it lept to the wall beside it and rebound off toward the duo.

They jumped apart, avoiding the sharp claws as they kept the pressure on it, not giving the creature the chance to collect itself. The rounds and pellets tearing through its red flesh without mercy. It rose up on its hindlegs, giving one last screech before it fell backwards and collapsed to the floor, going motionless right afterward.

BJ immediately fished out fresh shells and started loading them into the shotgun, approaching the creature when he was finished to make sure it was down for the count. Claire did the same with a speed-loader for her own weapon before joining him. "Think it's dead?" she asked tensely.

The Marine pressed the barrel of the W-870 into the Licker's forehead and fired. The top of its exposed brain exploded upward, spraying a crown of blood and grey matter across the floor.

"It sure as shit is now." he said, wracking the pump and ejecting the spent shell.

Retrieving the dropped medallion, the duo went over to the door that would lead back to the library. A bookshelf having tipped over and blocked the way that BJ took hold of and stood back upright. "How's the neck?" he asked, seeing a ring of purple starting to form on her once flawless skin.

"I'll be alright." Claire replied, rubbing her throat softly as they entered the library and made their way back to the atrium. "BJ, can I ask you a couple of things?" she asked casually.

"Depends on the question, but sure."

"What was your rank in the military? Your position, unless you can't say."

The Marine shook his head, "No, it's fine. I was a Lance Corporal before my discharge, my assignments with my squad mostly involved patrolling local villages in Iraq and providing security for the US Embassy. Tensions in the area are pretty high, and the local government definitely isn't making it any better. So our presence was set up to maintain the peace and protect the civilians as best we can." he explained.

"Sounds rough. Did you ever have to...you know..." Claire trailed off, trying to decide how to word the question.

Though BJ knew where she was going. "Yes. I've killed a couple people. Granted it was either their life or someone else's. Two I dealt with in self defense. The first is always the hardest."

"Even if it's for the right reasons?" asked the brunette.

BJ nodded, "Despite the circumstances, taking a human life is never easy. It stays with you a long time, but you need to learn how to cope with it as best you can. Especially if your fighting for your country. That kind of mental and emotional weakness could end up getting you killed if you don't overcome it."

Claire thought on his words a moment, "How did you overcome it?"

"By never forgetting that moment. Reminding myself what I was protecting when I did what I did, and to always remember taking a life didn't make me evil. Deciding the fate of a life is a responsibility to never take lightly, but at the same time only a line to be crossed if necessary and if you're prepared to bare the burden of doing so." the Marine answered almost sagely.

The young Redfield blinked, surprised at how BJ had spoken in such a deep, meaningful way. "Wow, that's..."

BJ sent her a half-smile. "I had good teachers and friends to help me through the bad times."

They entered the atrium and made their way toward the Goddess statue. Claire branched off to check on Marvin who was still laid out on the cot they set up for him while BJ put the last medallion in place.

The piece of the base slid backwards into the statue's base before the whole front part of it slid down into the floor, forming a small set of steps leading down to the metal gate leading farther down under the station.

BJ stepped down and pushed the metal door open and peered down the passageway beyond it with his flashlight.

"Looks like it goes farther down." he said over his shoulder to his companion.

A sharp gasp had him turning around to see Marvin sitting up on the cot, his teeth gritted while holding his side in obvious pain.

"Marvin!" Claire exclaimed in alarm, going immediately to his side. "You okay?!"

The Lieutenant shook his head, hissing through his teeth. "N-No, I...Just go. Both of you."

"We can't just leave you here." the brunette pressed desperately.

Marvin shook his head again, "We all know how this is going to end. You need to get out of the city while you still have a chance." he hissed again, clutching his side tighter.

BJ came up and put his hand on Claire's shoulder, "Anything we can do before..."

"No...just get out of here. Find your sister. Save yourselves." the officer said before laying back down."

Claire fought back tears, "Thank you. For everything." Marvin smiled back at her as he got settled. The two companions turned toward the hidden passage and went inside. The base of the statue coming back up behind them and sealing the entrance. Plunging them into darkness.

**X**

The hidden passageway led away from the atrium of the station into an office that hadn't been touched in a long time. The layers of dust on the various surfaces being proof of that. A small corridor that branched off from the old room ended at an elevator that took the duo deeper underground.

Stepping off the lift when the gate before them opened, they found themselves on the top of a concrete stairwell that went even farther down.

"How far does all this go?" Claire wondered as they scanned the darkness below with their flashlights.

"Only one way to find out." answered BJ as they began to descend the steps.

The air around them cold, the silence almost suffocating, when they reached the very bottom floor, a wide open room filled with wood planks, metal bars and bags of cement, they found a dead end in the form of a locked gate.

Backtracking, they took a corridor roughly a floor above the bottom level. Long pipes and railings ran along the walls with steam hissing out of them every so often. The ceiling was made up of grated panels with light casting through them.

The duo paused suddenly when the sound of footsteps had them looking above them. Something, or someone, ran right overhead and went down the same direction they were going.

"Another survivor?" asked Claire.

BJ didn't answer as they kept moving forward until they reached another open area filled with pipes and machinery. Their path continuing on a raised platform that surrounded the outside of the entire room, the way being blocked by a metal cabinet leaning against the door frame of what could have been the control room for the machines below.

The Marine slung his shotgun over his shoulder and pushed against the obstruction, but it wouldn't budge.

"Shit...Claire, give me a hand with this." the brunette came up beside him and offered her own strength. The cabinet started to move when they heard a soft sound from the room behind it.

A light shuffling, movement. And a whimper.

BJ took a step back from the doorway, taking out his flashlight and kneeling down to peer through the small opening just as something ran past the light and hid behind a stack of boxes in the corner.

"Hello? If someone's there you can come out, we won't hurt you." he called into the room softly.

A head of blonde hair slowly came into the open, slowly followed by a pale face with blue eyes. A little girl, no older than 12, but more than that...

The soldier nearly dropped his flashlight, his heart stopping in his chest a moment before kicking into high gear.

"S...Sherry?" he asked in almost a whisper, praying that his eyes weren't messing with him.

The girl got a better look at him and gasped, "Billy!"

BJ rammed the cabinet with his shoulder with renewed vigor, knocking it upright and out of the way as he ran into the room, dropped to his knees and hugged his sister tight to his chest. Afraid she would vanish into thin air.

"Oh my God, Sherry!" he said on the verge of tears, "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Billy, you came!" Sherry said back with a wide smile as she hugged her older brother as tightly as she could. "I thought...I thought I'd never see you again." she mumbled into his jacket.

BJ pulled back to look at her fully with a matching smile, "I made you a promise, little angel. Nothing was going to stop me from coming back to you. Not even the end of the world." he held her face in his hands, eyes never leaving hers, "Big brother's home."

Claire looked upon the heartwarming seen. Part of her beyond happy that they found BJ's sister and she was okay. But she was also envious, wanting nothing more than to have a similar reunion with her own brother.

But for how, she was happy that the two before her were reunited in this nightmare.

"Are you okay, Sherry? What were you doing down here?" the Marine asked.

Sherry tensed, as if remembering something. "I...I was hiding from-" her eyes widened and face paled when she looked over BJ's shoulder.

"Sherry?" asked the Marine, now concerned.

"He's right behind you!" his sister screamed.

BJ and Claire both spun around and were greeted with a hulking creature in the shadows. It's height and mass dwarfing them both as it stomped along the walkway toward them, denting the metal under it with each thunderous step.

The low light revealed a large and grotesque right arm that was as big as a tree with a large eye the size of a bowling ball sticking out of the shoulder that swiveled and dilated as it looked around.

"Oh my god..." the young Redfield said, holstering her sidearm while unslinging the grenade launcher.

Before either of them had time to prepare, the beast slammed its large arm into the walkway. Taking the duo off their feet as it ripped a large pipe from under them, causing the platform to collapse.

"BILLY!" Sherry screamed as she watched her brother and the woman he was with fall to the floor below.

BJ got up quickly, "HIDE SHERRY!" he shouted back to his sister while helping Claire to her feet. Shotgun aimed at the creature as it dropped down infront of them hunched over.

"Come and get it you ugly son of a..." words died in the Marine's throat when the beast stood upright. The brighter lights on this level illuminating more of its mutated form.

The arm was a mass of spiked, pulsing flesh the color of rust that spreading over to the rest of the body which was once a man wearing a torn lab coat and green slacks. When it turned toward the duo, the none corrupted side of its face was revealed to have more than a little resemblance to one of them.

"...D...Dad?!" BJ said in horror when he recognized that the creature was his own father.

William Birkin.

**X**

**A/N: Not your typical family reunion, one must admit. **

**The chapters after this one will be much longer, I figured one more good cliffhanger would give me plenty of time to prepare for what's going to happen next since I will start diverging off of the main story a bit more given my OC's involvement now.**

**Here's to hoping I'm still making good on my promise to make this fic awesome folks! **


	7. Three's a Crowd

**A/N: It has been far too long for this fic, and since I just got my copy of Resident Evil 3 Remake in the mail today, I can't think of a better time to pick it up once again.**

**But enough of that, I've kept you all waiting long enough!**

**X**

There had been a rare few occurrences where BJ had actually frozen when in a combat situation. It was a habit that he had to break quickly if he had wanted any chance to survive. But standing where he was, looking upon the grotesque, mutated beast that had once been his own father...his legs may as well have been stone.

William Birkin Sr. was barely recognizable at first glance, his entire right side a mass of sickening growths forming a large arm that was almost as big as what remained of his human half with bone-spikes jutting out of the mutated flesh. A basketball-sized eyeball rolled around in the shoulder like a socket, taking in its surroundings before centering on the Marine and narrowing.

"D...Dad?" BJ breathed, horrified as he took in what his father had become. William focused both eyes on his son, deep, hissing breaths escaping clenched teeth and sounding more like a ravenous beast than the brilliant scientist he had once been.

Without warning, William let loose an earth shaking howl of primal fury before charging at his son.

"BJ LOOK OUT!" Claire screamed, tackling her companion out of the way as the enraged beast barreled through a series of pipes with the strength of a living bulldozer.

The duo quickly got to their feet and prepared themselves, "What the hell is that thing?!" the young Redfield shouted while preparing her grenade launcher.

BJ finally managed to shake himself out of his shock and got ready as well, "Whatever it is, it used to be my father!" Claire snapped her attention to him wide-eyed and speechless as William stomped out of the hole he had made, reaching his mutated arm out and ripping a large chunk of pipe free.

Gnashing his teeth, BJ pulled out his shotgun and racked the pump. Whatever had happened to the rest of the city had obviously affected his dad as well and this was the result.

This..._thing_ wasn't his father anymore. No matter what he had been before, he wasn't that now and was a threat to everything and everyone around him, he needed to be taken down. As much as he didn't want to, the survival of Sherry, Claire and himself came first.

"We gotta keep him away from Sherry, find a weak spot!" the Marine shouted before firing his shotgun, the buckshot peppering along William's mutated skin. Causing him to grunt, but ultimately shrugging off the minor damage as he started swinging the pipe in his hand like a baseball bat.

BJ ducked and rolled backwards out of the way while Claire fired her revolver at the raging monster as he smashed his makeshift club into everything around him. Cracking concrete and bending metal as he tried to crush the duo.

"To hell with this!" Claire pulled out her grenade launcher and loaded a flame-round into the barrel. Seeing what his partner was doing, BJ put some distance between himself and her target while firing on his former father's head to keep him distracted.

"You're clear, FIRE!" he called out as the young Redfield pulled the trigger. The 40mm incendiary round hit home with a small explosion and flames spreading across the monster's frame.

William roared, his mutated flesh cracking and blistering as he flailed around to put out the blaze. BJ kept the pressure on while Claire loaded another round, neither of them willing to give the beast a chance to recover.

Growling, William suddenly charged headlong into the ones attacking him. His bulk knocking Claire off her feet, the grenade launcher clattering across the floor while his mutated arm swung around and caught BJ in the chest sending him several meters backwards and crashing into a stack of crates.

The Marine hadn't been prepared for the force behind the hit. His whole ribcage echoed with pain, feeling like Babe Ruth had used his torso for batting practice times twenty. He would have been surprised that none of his ribs had been broken if it weren't for the fact the hit had stunned him so badly.

Groaning, BJ managed to roll out of the pile of broken wood. Shaking his head and getting his bearings back in time to see Claire fleeing his father's mutated form while taking the occasional pot shot at him.

Teeth gritted, the Marine got back to his feet when he noticed something roll out of the broken crate behind him.

**X**

Claire ducked and ran under a wide swing from the creature stalking her, its weapon smashing a cluster of pipes and sending a blast of steam shooting into its face. Blinding it and giving her a chance to get away from it.

She had still been reeling at the revelation that this thing had once been a person, let alone BJ and Sherry's father. But her most pressing issue was trying to avoid getting crushed to death by whatever the hell said parent had now become.

Cursing at having lost her grip on her grenade launcher, Claire made quick work of reloading her pistol while keeping out of sight. She could hear the monster stomping around nearby, but she couldn't see where it was when she peered out from where she was.

A second passed, then another, the young Redfield slowly eased out of her hiding place and had a moment to breathe in before she was forced to dive to the floor into a roll when a massive arm swung around nearly taking her head off.

William roared as he pursued the brunette, slamming his fist into the floor and forcing her to scuttle backwards to avoid becoming a smear on the concrete. She tried to aim, but had to roll to the side when the monster's fist came down again, cracking the floor where she had just been.

"HEY!" Claire and William looked up to see BJ there with his sidearm aimed with one hand. The weapon registered three times, two rounds hitting the creature on the shoulder and collarbone, but the last one hit home right in the center of William's forehead causing him to recoil and stumble back a step.

"CLAIRE GET CLEAR!" the Marine shouted as he brought out his other hand to reveal a hand grenade. The young Redfield dove for cover as he pulled the pin and tossed it at the creature's feet before diving for cover as well.

The room shook from the explosion that followed, William howled in pain as he was thrown backwards from the blast. Shrapnel burrowing into his flesh and causing a good chunk of damage.

BJ came out into the open to see the monster down in a kneeling position, its 'shoulder-eye' flickering around wildly.

"_That's it!"_ he raised his MK.23 and emptied the rest of the clip into the large eyeball. Blood and tissue spraying into the air as the bullets tore into it.

His guess was right on target when William reeled back screaming. The eye slamming shut with blood flowing down the arm like a dark waterfall as the creature swung itself around and ran forward.

The Marine didn't have a second to prepare himself before he was grabbed by the throat and hoisted off the floor. His sidearm falling to the floor as he kicked hard against the monster's chest, drawing his knife and violently stabbing into the arm that was now choking the life out of him.

Despite the blade piercing his flesh, William's grip remained strong as he continued to crush BJ's neck. His remaining human eye glared up at him, bloodshot-blue meeting similar blue eyes. Through his darkening vision, BJ swore he saw a flash of recognition pass in his father's gaze.

"**W...il...liam…"** the monster rasped, his grip loosening a small fraction.

A soft gasp was heard and William looked up to see Sherry looking down at them, her young face marred with terror as she watched her daddy strangling her brother.

"**Sh...erry…"** he rumbled again before roaring in agony. The distraction being enough for BJ to get enough of his strength back to pull his knife from the arm holding him and stabbing hard into the eye in the monster's shoulder when it opened for a brief moment.

The Marine was thrown aside as William tried to reach up and removed the blade stuck in it as an explosion and a burst of flames covered his back. Claire stepped out from behind some machinery with her grenade launcher back in hand that she quickly reloaded a fresh shell into before firing again.

The grenade hit the monster in the chest, forcing him to stumble back into a small railing that overlooked a deep abyss where no bottom could be seen.

Still trying to put out the flames covering his body, William ended up pitching over the railing and falling into the shadows below. Howling loudly the whole way down until he was out of sight.

Claire lowered her launcher, adrenaline flowing out of her when she was sure the thing was gone before making her way over to BJ who was getting back to his feet holding his neck.

"Nice shooting." he gasped out, his throat still very tender. Both of them looked toward where William had gone.

"Think he's dead?" asked Claire.

BJ shook his head, "I hope to hell he is. Whatever the fuck's going on around here, looks like dad ended up getting the worst of it."

"What happened to him?" the brunette wondered, trying to make sense of things. "Zombies, those Licker things, now this. What kind of fucking virus can do that?"

"No idea...but it makes me wonder what my parents were getting into all this time." the Marine saw the questioning look Claire was giving him and realized he hadn't told her yet. "Mom and dad were scientists for the Umbrella corporation. Sherry and I never knew what exactly they did, but it kept them away from home alot. I pretty much had to raise Sherry a lot of the time."

The young Redfield gave him a sympathetic look, "They never told you what they were doing?"

"Whatever they did tell us about their jobs was too vague a lot of the time. But they mostly told us they were working on medicine to help people." BJ looked back where his father had vanished, "One thing the military taught me was to follow orders, another was to never accept a situation at face value. I just hope that I'm wrong."

"About what?" asked Claire.

"That mom and dad knew something that led to all this...or they were a part of it." the Marine stated grimly.

"...Billy?" BJ and Claire looked at the landing above them and saw Sherry looking back. "Is...Is he gone?"

"Yeah Sherry, he's gone. Can you find a ladder or something to help us get up to you?" BJ called back to her.

The little girl disappeared for a few seconds before a metal ladder clattered down to their level. Claire went up first with the Marine right behind her, the moment he got off the last step he was nearly taken off his feet by the little blonde missile that was his sister.

"It's alright, baby sis." BJ said while he hugged her. He broke the hug after a couple seconds before he realized they weren't alone. "Oh! Sherry, this is Claire. She helped me find you."

Claire smiled at the little girl, "It's nice to finally meet you, Sherry. BJ's told me a lot about you."

Sherry looked up at the beautiful woman and smiled back, "Are you Billy's new girlfriend?"

Both the Marine and the young Redfield blushed at the implication, "No, we're just friends. We've been helping each other through this nightmare." said BJ before quickly changing the subject. "Sherry, how long have you been down here?" he asked.

"I don't know. Mom told me to come to the police station when the monsters showed up. But they were here too, so I hid." said Sherry.

"Mom told you to come here?" BJ asked with skepticism.

His sister nodded, "Yeah, she said it was safer here and she would come and get me when she could."

The Marine's eyes narrowed, several red flags coming up after hearing what Sherry said. Their house was on the other side of Raccoon City, and he knew for a fact that his family hadn't moved since he left for basic. He also knew that there were several other 'safe zones' between the Birkin home and the police station in the event of a crisis.

So why the hell would his mother have Sherry cross a good chunk of a viral infested city to one specific location? Even if she had an escort, she had been put in mortal danger from the trip alone, not to mention being here by herself all this time. What had been going through his mother's head? What the hell would cause her to put Sherry in that much danger?

"BJ?" he blinked and saw Claire and Sherry looking at him concerned.

"Sorry, lost in thought." BJ said with a smile that the young Redfield instantly knew was forced. "What do you say we all get out of here." Neither of the girls disagreed with that and began making their walk along the small series of walkways. Going up a flight of stairs into a control room where Sherry pointed to a level on a nearby panel

Throwing the lever, a platform outside the room moved into place providing them a way to reach the exit.

"Billy?" Sherry asked timidly.

"Yeah, Sher?" BJ questioned back.

"That big monster...that was dad, wasn't it?"

The Marine froze at the question, a million and one answers coming to mind. Most of them lies to try and ease her fears. But he knew that his baby sister was smart, and god only knew how often their parents had lied and made false promises. And he swore a long time ago that he wouldn't be like that to her.

Sighing, BJ nodded while he answered. "Yeah...it was. I don't know how or why, but it was him."

Sherry looked down sadly until her brother knelt down to her level with his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry baby sis. No matter how much dad and I fought years ago, I wouldn't wish that fate on anyone. Whatever's going on, it's really bad. My only concern is getting you as far away from this as possible. I won't let what happened to dad, what happened to this city, happen to you. And I will never leave you again."

"Y-You promise?" Sherry asked meekly, tears trailing down her dirtied face.

BJ smiled and wiped the tears from her cheeks, "Always."

Claire watched the tender moment with a warm smile, her thoughts drifting to Chris and the hope that he was okay wherever he was.

**X**

Within the dark parking garage of the police station, a manhole cover near the center slowly rose up and moved to the side. A moment later, BJ's head perked up and glanced around to be sure things were clear before pulling himself out. Reaching back in the opening and helping Sherry and then Claire after that.

"Well, chivalry isn't dead after all." the brunette said with a half-smile, taking the Marine's offered hand as he helped her up.

"Not with me anyway." BJ replied with a small grin of his own.

"Are you sure you two aren't boyfriend and girlfriend. You're sure acting like it." Sherry spoke up, causing the older duo to quickly release their hands. They took a moment to gather themselves before making their way over to the opening to the garage. The steel mesh gate was down and locked in place meaning they were stuck.

"Damn. We need a keycard to activate the door." BJ said from the control box for the gate.

"Is there a way around it?" asked Clare as she looked for a way to get through with Sherry close by.

The Marine shook his head, "Not a chance. This system was designed to only allow designated personnel to get into the garage. The officers here must have locked it down when they turned the place into a shelter."

Sherry saw something moving in the shadows nearby and tensed, her brother and Claire saw this and drew weapons and aimed at whatever was making its way to them.

"Sherry?!" A man's voice echoed through the garage. "I've been looking everywhere for you!" The one that spoke stepped into the headlights of the car outside the gate to reveal a man in his mid-fifties with grey hair and a moustache wearing a white dress shirt that had been sweating through with a shoulder holster and a pair of slacks with a badge on one side and a parking pass on the other.

BJ lowered his weapon slightly when he recognized the man. "Chief Irons?"

Irons froze when he saw the soldier standing in front of his sister. A flash of anger and panic crossed his face almost too fast to notice. "Well...if it isn't Little Billy. What are you doing here?"

"Honorable discharge. Looks like I got back just in time." BJ replied. A feeling in the pit of his stomach telling him to stay on guard.

He had never been a fan of the police chief. The man always gave off a bad vibe whenever he'd been in the same room as him. Not to mention he was about as crooked as any politician could be. There was no telling what this nightmare had done to him as well and how it could have changed him, desperate times often cause people to act violently and irrationally.

BJ had seen the emotions Irons had tried to hide and immediately decided to trust his instincts. "We need your parking pass, Chief." he said, motioning to the keycard on his belt.

The Chief hesitated, then reached toward said pass-

Only to draw his revolver and aim at them. "GET ON THE GROUND! ALL OF YOU!" he screamed with spit flying with each word.

In response Claire and BJ had their own sidearms trained on him. "Don't do this!" the young Redfield pleaded, not wanting there to be bloodshed with all that's happened so far.

"SHUT UP!" Irons shouted, his revolver shaking in his hands. "ON THE GROUND! DO IT!" his beady eyes locked onto Sherry who was hiding behind her brother. "Get over here Sherry!"

BJ remained firmly locked in place, gun aimed at Irons' head with Sherry shielded behind him. "You think I'm going to just let you take my sister, you've lost you're fucking mind." he said coldly.

The Chief fired a round into the ceiling, "I WON'T TELL YOU ALL AGAIN! I'M WALKING OUT OF HERE WITH THAT LITTLE BITCH ONE WAY OR ANOTHER!" A gunshot rang out and Iron's fell to the ground clutching his shoulder, his weapons clattering out of his reach.

Lowering his gun, BJ stormed over to the downed police chief. Kicking his revolver further out of his reach while doing so. Crouching down to the man's level now that the threat was neutralized.

"Why did you want Sherry?" he demanded, MK.23 at the ready.

Irons growled at him like a rabid wolf while clutching his wounded shoulder. "Fuck you! You and you're whole fucking familiy! It's all your fault! You and Umbrella!"

"Umbrella?" asked Claire, Sherry clinging to her side.

"Why were you after Sherry, Irons?!" BJ demanded louder, his sidearm now aimed at his face.

"The little bitch was supposed to be my ticket out of here!" the Chief hissed through his teeth. "You're damn bitch of a mother would have done anything to get her back. I could have gotten out of this shithole!"

Never before had BJ wanted to kill someone so badly, but managed to refrain from doing something he would regret in front of the girls. Instead he reached down and ripped the parking pass from Irons' waist. "You should really watch who you're calling a bitch." he said darkly before standing back up and making his way back to Claire and Sherry.

He made it about half way before he heard it. A low, rumbling sound that seemed to echo through the garage from somewhere in the back.

Out of the shadows, a doberman stalked out into the open. Chunks of flesh missing from its body exposing the bones underneath with cloudy, undead eyes leering at the survivors. Its lips curled back over its teeth, blood and saliva dripping down to the floor as it growled ferally.

Several more canines came out and joined the first one, their bodies all in various stages of decay as they joined the chorus of viral hunger.

"...shit." BJ managed to curse before the infected dogs ran at them. The Marine's sidearm registered several times, managing to hit one of the doberman's in the head and clipping another in the shoulder that sent it sprawling to the floor.

One of the canines managed to get close enough to lung at BJ who dropped down, the infected animal sailing over him. He spun around and slammed the handle of his MK.23 against the dog's head and caving in its skull when it tried to get him from behind.

Claire stepped back, keeping the animals in sight as she fired at them. One of the dobermans lunged and attempted to take a chunk out of her leg, but the brunette was quicker. Bringing her leg up in a wide arc and kicking the canine and sending it into the side of a car hard enough to leave a dent.

Another attempted to get around her and get at Sherry, but two bullets to the side of the head from the young Redfield put it down before it could.

The little girl stumbled back in fear as her brother and Claire fought the infected dogs. One of the animals managed to knock BJ off his feet, but he fell back with the momentum and rolled back to his feet and shot it when it came back around.

She had been so distracted by the fighting that she screamed when a large hand painfully grabbed her tiny arm. Chief Irons looming over her, his shirt stained with his blood while his other hand gripped the keycard BJ had dropped during the fighting.

"You're coming with me!" he shouted and started to drag her to the gate controls.

"BILLY!" Sherry screamed as loud as she could. The Marine spun around and saw what was happening, he aimed and fired at Irons, hitting the console and making him jump.

Glaring hatefully at BJ, Irons threw Sherry to the side. Her little body hitting the ground with a yelp right near an infected doberman who growled in preparation to tear into her flesh.

"SHERRY!" BJ ran after his sister while Irons swiped the card in the reader, causing the gate to start raising and going through the opening. Hitting the switch on the other side to close it back up behind him.

The Marine's boot connected hard with the infected dog's side, kicking it away from his sister before shooting it in the head. "I got you." he said, helping her to her feet. Claire had just finished taking out another undead canine when she looked toward the siblings, her eyes widening when she saw something creeping up on BJ.

"BJ BEHIND YOU!"

BJ spun around as one last doberman launched itself at him. He had only a split second to shove Sherry behind him before the animal's jaws chomped down on his right leg above his ankle, teeth tearing into his fatigues to get at the flesh underneath.

Claire and Sherry screamed in horror...but BJ just glared at the animal and leveled his pistol at it.

"Wrong leg Cujo." he shot the creature between the eyes, splattering what was left of its brains across the floor.

A thick silence filled the parking garage once the undead dogs had been dealt with. "Billy?" BJ looked to Sherry who had her wide, fearful eyes on his right leg.

The lower pant leg torn away to reveal not the shredded, bloody flesh from the infected doberman's teeth, but shining metal that went from the top of his boot to a few inches under his knee.

Claire approached, eyes locked on the limb before meeting the Marine's eyes. "BJ?"

BJ sighed, knowing that this had been coming. Now he had a lot to explain to both his sister and his partner.


	8. Family Secret

After the fight with the station's undead canine units, BJ, Claire and Sherry took a minute to look around the parking garage. Finding a small corridor with a personal elevator and the control room for it locked up tight. A dead end.

Venturing back out into the garage, the trio tried the only other door that wasn't locked and entered a hallway that went farther into the station.

The trio had found themselves in the shooting range not long after the incident in the parking garage. After clearing out a couple of zombies they did a quick search for supplies and found several unopened boxes of ammo and empty clips that hadn't been pilfered.

One of the zombies was a police officer with his sidearm still in the holster. An JMB Hp3 with a 13 round magazine fully loaded in it. The Marine checked the weapon thoroughly before handing it and the spare clip he had also found on the dead officer to Claire who slipped it into the holster her revolver had been in before sticking the smaller weapon in her belt at her lower back.

Once they had stocked up, BJ sat on a nearby bench and propped his right leg on the seat next to him. Tearing away the ripped fabric and using the strips to tightly secure the end of the pant leg just under where the prosthetic met flesh and bone. Exposing the shiny metal leg to the low light of the room.

With the gate locked after Iron's escape they still needed to find a parking pass to get out of the police station. They had nowhere to go other than forward. However, there was a small bit of tension among the small group. And the reason was very obvious.

"Billy?" The Marine paused, closing his eyes a moment before opening them and looking at his sister who was now standing next to him. Her blue eyes locked on her brother's fake leg. Claire just behind her, doing her best not to stare but her gaze would drift to the prosthetic occasionally.

Making sure the last strip was tightly wrapped, BJ lowered his leg to the floor before sighing deeply. "I'm sorry, Sherry. But I wasn't completely honest about my discharge in my letters." his sister's face reflected hurt at the revelation that he kept something like this from her, but she let him continue.

"During my last patrol mission, my convoy hit an IED hidden in the road." BJ shivered a little, still remembering bits and pieces of that day. "I don't remember much after that. Being thrown around and our humvee being tossed from the blast mostly. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in a hospital a week later with part of my leg missing."

He looked down at his prosthetic, "I spent the following months healing and learning to walk again. My CO gave me a purple heart and told me I was being sent home when I recovered."

Running a hand over his face, BJ locked eyes with Sherry. "I didn't tell you, because I wanted to tell you in person. You were dealing with so much since I left on my tour, I didn't want you to worry about me on top of that." the Marine shook his head with a humorless chuckle, "It's a stupid excuse, but its the truth."

Sherry was quiet as she looked down at his prosthetic. "Does it hurt?" she asked nervously.

"No. It did at first, but it got better. I just have to be careful with how I move around sometimes." the older Birkin answered honestly. Sherry nodded before suddenly embracing him tightly.

"I'm just happy you're okay. And you're here with me." she mumbled into his jacket.

BJ smiled and hugged her back, "I'm too stubborn to go down like that, Sher. I promised to make it back here, and there was no way in hell I was going to break that. Even if I left a bit of myself behind." Sherry smiled despite the bad joke.

Looking over his sister's head at the brunette who had been watching. "Claire?" he asked, wondering what was on her mind with all of this.

Claire smiled back at him, "Couldn't even tell before this. It doesn't change anything with me. Besides, I bet you can take it off and hit zombies with it."

BJ chuckled, "Kinda need it to walk on, but I'll keep that thought in mind just in case." Everyone shared a light laugh, making their current situation a little less foreboding for a moment or two.

When they calmed down, Claire decided to bring up what was on everyone's mind. "So, what do we do now? Irons took off with the parking pass."

"That asshole couldn't have had the only one. They would have had others stored here that they would give out to guests and personnel. We just need to find where they are being stored." said BJ, standing up and unslinging his shotgun, "Worst case scenario, we try to find another way out. Either way, we're getting out of there."

He turned his attention to his sister, "Sherry, I need you to stick close to me and Claire. If anything happens and we get seperated, you listen to her. Okay?"

Sherry nodded before they all made their way out of the shooting range and into the dark, concrete hallway outside. Claire and BJ took out their flashlights, the beams cutting through the darkness as they made their way farther in. The Marine in front with Sherry right behind him and the young Redfield bringing up the rear, covering their backs.

It was quiet. Their footsteps echoing off the walls around them as they tried their best to make as little noise as possible in case something was waiting for them around the next corner.

Thankfully they had been lucky up to that point. But the corridor ahead of them when they came around the bend was blocked by office furniture, a door to their left being the only possible way around it.

BJ racked his brain for a moment, trying to remember what the door could lead to when he saw the faded words on the surface that he could barely make out;

'**Kennel'**

The Marine cursed in his head before looking back at the girls, putting a finger to his lips before shining his light on the door to show them what he had found.

Claire tensed and Sherry looked scared at the idea of running into more undead dogs. BJ motioned with his hand for them to wait a moment as he carefully turned the knob and eased the door open enough to peer inside.

It was dark, but there was enough emergency light to reveal the interior. BJ could make out the cages where the canine units were housed, all of them open, some with blood splashed on the doors. The wet sounds that he knew by now was chewing drew his attention to the center of the room where his heart nearly stopped in his chest.

There, feeding on the bodies of some of the dead police dogs, were two Lickers. The blind, skinless abominations too engrossed in their meal to be aware of the Marine's presence.

Slowly closing the door, BJ turned to Claire and held up two fingers and mouthed 'Lickers' to her. Causing the brunette to pale while Sherry looked confused.

'What do we do?' Claire mouthed back, grip tight on her new sidearm.

BJ thought hard. They couldn't risk sneaking past them, there were too many ways that idea could go wrong. That left taking the monsters out. But how could they pull it off before they were torn to shreds.

He suddenly remembered something that Claire had picked up a while back and got her attention. 'Flashbang.' he mouthed.

The young Redfield perked up and smirked before fishing the grenade from her hip pack. Handing the non-lethal explosive to BJ who held it in his free hand. He then motioned to the door and silently laid out his plan, being sure to tell Sherry to stay as quiet as possible and cover her ears.

When Sherry did as she was told, her brother pulled the pin on the flashbang and slowly eased the door open again enough to fit his hand through. Getting the right angle, he tossed the explosive into the room in the direction of the Lickers and closed the door quickly.

The sound of the grenade hitting the floor echoed, along with the curious sounds of the creatures before a muffled blast of sound and light could be seen through the gaps in the door followed swiftly by the near deafening screeches from the intended targets.

BJ kicked the door open and stormed inside, finding the Lickers flailing on the floor in agony from the sensory overload from the grenade. He planted his foot on the throat of the closest monster, shoving the barrel of his shotgun into its mouth and pulling the trigger, blasting its exposed brain across the floor.

Claire came in behind him, firing her new JMB Hp3 into the head of the other Licker. Emptying half the clip into the creature until it stopped moving. They did a quick sweep of the room to be sure there weren't any other threats before bringing Sherry inside.

The girl looked at the monsters her brother and Claire had just killed and shivered, "W-What are they?"

"Not sure exactly, some kind of mutation." BJ replied while loading fresh shells into his shotgun. "The police that encountered them before us called them Lickers. They're blind, but have good hearing and are wicked fast. If it was only one of them we could have snuck around, but I wasn't willing to risk it with two of them in the same room."

Claire kicked one of the dead Lickers with her boot, "How many more do you think there are?"

The Marine shook his head, "No idea. Better to not think about it." he moved his flashlight and blinked when it reflected off something shiny on the floor. Curious, he moved one of the dead dobermans aside and found a severed human hand loosely clenched around a key with a red diamond shape on the end.

"Hey, I think I got something." he said, kneeling down and prying the key from the cold fingers and holding it up for Claire to see.

"Looks like it matches the symbol on the door by the elevator we saw." replied the brunette.

"Was thinking the same thing." said BJ while pocketing the key. "The only other room in this corridor is the morgue, and I'm not in any mood to see that place. So what do you say we see where that elevator goes?"

The girls agreed wholeheartedly and they backtracked to the garage.

**X**

In the orphanage just up the street from the police precinct, Irons stumbled into the room he had taken as his sanctuary for the outbreak.

When things had really started to get bad the corrupt police chief had plotted his escape in the event he would need it. He knew what Umbrella had been doing behind closed doors, he'd accepted enough fat checks to make sure his employees didn't look into anything that could be led back to them while at the same time providing more security.

Then that damn mansion incident happened. The STARS teams that were sent in discovered what Umbrella had been doing and threatened to blow the whistle on what was going on. Even after Irons had disavowed the group, they still kept making waves to the point the company sent hitman squads to take them out.

But in the end, the bastards managed to give Umbrella the slip and left the city. As far as Irons was aware one or two of the former STARS were still in Raccoon but went missing when the outbreak started getting bad. And he knew it was only a matter of time before the company decided to cut off all loose ends.

Him included.

That was why he needed the Birkin brat. He knew her parents were somewhere in the NEST lab under the city and he could have used her to secure safe passage out, along with a hefty sum to go underground with.

But their bastard son just had to be here too. The fucking jarhead had ruined everything! He had to figure out a way to get the girl if he wanted to avoid any chance of being taken out by one of Umbrella's attack dogs. And that asshole and the little whore running around with him weren't going to stop him.

Cursing loudly, Irons dropped in a chair close to the table where a young blonde woman's body laid wearing a white dress. Very much dead with no chance of becoming another undead.

Removing his tie and shirt, he began treating the bullet wound. Vowing revenge against Birkin's son.

"I swear, I'm gonna kill that fucking jarhead and that damn whore of his." the police chief gritted out. Wrapping a bandage around his shoulder to stop the bleeding.

A loud crash somewhere else in the building had him jerking in his seat, wincing in pain from the strain in his shoulder. "What the hell?" he muttered, grabbing the backup pistol that he had on hand and left the room to seek out what was going on. Entering the main foyer covered in colorful carpeting and children's drawings on the walls.

The oak double-doors of the old building had been smashed open, water from the coming rain spilling on the carpet.

Fear spread through Irons' body as he approached the opening and looked out into the deserted street outside. No sign of a zombie or any of Umbrella's rogue BOWs in sight.

Grasp on his weapon shaking, the chief backed up into the orphanage, eyes flickering every which way...then he heard the deep, raspy breathing...coming from behind him.

Spinning around, he saw the massive creature that had been hiding in the shadows. A large right arm with an eyeball swiveling in the socket that suddenly launched out and grabbed Iron's by the head, lifting him off the ground before a fleshy tentacle shot into his mouth and down his throat.

**X**

It was a snug fit, but the trio managed to ride the small elevator to the top floor. The gate opened up to a walkway with no ceiling allowing the rain to pelt the stones on the ground in a soft torrent.

BJ stepped out first, the rain lightly soaking his head and shoulders. Claire and Sherry followed as they crossed the walkway and entered an old hallway that ended with what looked like an open door. But when they got close, they realized that it was actually a section of wall that led into Chief Irons' office.

"Damn." the Marine whistled as he took in the man's lavish workspace. The many hunting trophies Irons had on display, pictures of him shaking hands with various politicians and business men and women, and awards from his time as RCPD's Chief of police. "Guess this is where taxpayer money went here in Raccoon."

Sherry went over and looked at a full scale stuffed deer by the hidden door they had just come through while Claire went over to the desk and found a few sheets of paper lying on the surface. Curious, she picked them up and started reading;

**Police Chief Irons,**

**As thanks for your unwavering support, I have deposited a small sum into your account, to use as you see fit. I hope I can count on you to maintain surveillance over your subordinates, especially the ones that survived the mansion. Get rid of them if you must.**

**W.B.**

**X**

**Police Chief Irons**

**I ran into some trouble with Umbrella headquarters, the suits want to take the fruit of my research away. But don't worry, this will all blow over soon. You just keep doing what I tell you to and everything will be alright.**

**W.B.**

**X**

**Police Chief Irons**

**You are to up the security around my lab. Your muscle heads are to shoot any suspicious person on sight. Doesn't matter if they kill them, or even if they're Umbrella employees, I'm so close to completing G, and no asshole is going to get in my way.**

**W.B.**

**X**

**Police Chief Irons**

**Get your shit together and do your fucking job! I TOLD YOU I need more security in the sewers! Don't you know how critical of a time this is for me?! As for the money, I can pay you whatever once I take over, but not before. Why don't you get that?! Never forget how expendable you are!**

**W.B.**

"BJ, come look at this." Claire called the Marine over who read the emails that had been left out.

"Figured the bastard was on the take, he always had the vibe of a corrupt politician." he said with narrowed eyes at the page and sighed deeply when he saw the initials and the address the message had come from. "My father sent this."

The brunette gave him a worried look as he checked to see if his sister was close enough to hear them. "None of this is making sense." BJ said quietly. "Irons said something about using Sherry as leverage, that Umbrella and my family are responsible for all this**. **Then there's the fact my father has become some kind of real life Frankenstein's monster. Now it turns out he was paying Irons under the table to watch his staff…"

"Any idea what it all could mean?" Claire asked.

"I don't know. Like I said after we fought my dad, if he and my mom had something to do with all this...I hate to even think about it. Our relationship was hit bad when I decided to be in the Marines instead of following in their footsteps. But I never thought they would be caught up in something like this. Worse if they did so willingly. But all the facts are starting to point to some kind of conspiracy, with Umbrella at the center of it."

BJ re-read the emails, "He sounds desperate at the end. Obviously whatever my old man was into was at risk if he's paying off Irons. G...what did he mean? Some kind of medicine? A vaccine? Dammit. What the fuck were you and mom doing dad?" he cursed, his mind trying to turn over this revelation.

"I found something!" Sherry suddenly called out, coming over to her brother and Claire with what looked like a police badge in hand. "I found this on the table."

Claire took the badge and looked it over and found that it was a STARS badge. Her finger accidentally hit a small switch on the back causing a USB connector to pop out of the top.

"It's a hidden USB dongle." said the brunette, showing BJ the discovery.

"This could be how the STARS got into their weapons locker." said the Marine. "Hold onto it, just in case we head back that way. Could always use more firepower. In the meantime let's check this office over incase there's something else we could use."

Claire slipped the badge into her back pocket before they all began to comb over Irons' office. All the while BJ looked at Sherry, worried about what he had discovered about their parents and wondering what else they had been getting into all this time.

**X**

**A/N: If you only knew BJ. I stared replaying the RE2 Remake since getting my copy of the RE3 Remake this past Friday, wanting to make sure all my facts are straight as I go through every nightmarish moment in this story. And even though some things have changed already, BJ will soon be facing the horrors of the Umbrella corporation, and the machinations of his own family. It's a roller coaster ride the Sybil at the switch.**

**Then again, this is Resident Evil. Till next time folks, stay healthy out there!**


	9. Hunted

Irons' office had yielded little to help them on their journey, save for the badge-dongle Sherry had found for the STARS weapon locker. So instead they checked the other two doors leading out of the room.

One of them led down a small hallway to a storage room where various antiques were being housed. It was in this room that they found a parking pass they would need to get out of the station, hanging on a hook in a sectioned off part of the room that was locked via an electrical panel that had damaged parts that needed to be replaced.

Their prize in sight, they checked the rest of the room and managed to find a key hidden in the back of a picture frame that might be able to help them and a map of the station. With nothing else, they went back to the chief's office to think of a plan.

"It's like everything's set up to distract us." Claire muttered in anger. Knowing that the parking pass was so close but at the same time out of reach was more than a bit frustrating.

BJ nodded in agreement while twirling the newly acquired 'heart key' between his fingers. "Starting to look that way. Regardless, we need to find the replacement components for that panel if we're gonna get that pass. There's no guarantee that another one is laying around somewhere." he said before picking up one of the damaged components he had taken from the panel when he looked it over.

The metal wiring of both pieces had been fried, either from the storm going on outside or from some other means. And with how thick the locking mechanism was there was little chance of them kicking it open. Either way, they couldn't get into the locked room without fixing the panel.

"Where would we start looking?" asked Claire.

"What about this?" Sherry suddenly spoke, holding up a piece of paper.

BJ took the paper and read it over, finding it to be a memo about a repair man coming in to fix a few things around the station and where he was said to have left some parts laying around. "Where'd you find this, Sherry?" he asked his sister.

"On one of the shelves when you and Claire got that key. It looked important." replied the young blonde.

"It is." said the Marine before taking out the map they found and spreading it out on the table in the middle of the office. "According to the memo, the repairman that came by to fix some of the panels around the station left some parts in the event replacements were needed. Supposedly he left one in a storage room on the 3rd floor here in the east wing. It also said he went to work on the old clock tower. If things started going bad while he was working, chances are that he left the rest of his supplies there as well."

Claire looked over the map as he pointed out the locations. "So we need to hit up the storage room, then the clocktower. Sounds simple."

"Depending on how many locked doors we can get through and how many freaks will be between us and our objective." said BJ, looking over the map one last time. "We'll try the storage room first since it's closest. Then we'll work our way to the clocktower. With any luck we should be able to find the parts we need and get back without too much trouble."

"What can I do?" asked Sherry, wanting to help her brother and Claire however she could.

"I want you to keep your eyes peeled, if you see something that stands out let us know. But at the same time don't put yourself in danger. Okay?" the Marine explained, getting a nod from his little sister.

With a plan set, the trio left Irons' office. Using the heart-key to unlock the door and entered a stairwell. Remembering the map, BJ led the girls up the stairs to the next floor where various bits of furniture and painting equipment scattered around.

Taking the door on their left, they entered a large storage room with shelves covered in small crates and art pieces big and small. The set up being similar to a small maze, and with the lights being out making it more imposing.

Turning on their flashlights, Claire and BJ stepped through the door with Sherry between them. Covering as many directions as they could to avoid something sneaking up on them. But they didn't have to worry about that as their entry attracted the attention of a pair of zombies in police uniforms that were up there. Each coming from a different direction.

The older duo looked to one another and nodded as they each approached the closest undead. Claire ducked aside when the one she chose lunged for her, getting behind it to kick it in the back of the knee and dropping it to a kneeling position. From there the brunette drew her knife and stabbed it in the back of the head to put it down.

BJ didn't draw a weapon as he grabbed the zombie's outstretched arms, spinning it around and putting it in a headlock where he then snapped its neck. With the only threats out of the way they were able to check out the room unhindered. Coming up with a couple boxes of bullets and a few rounds for Claire's grenade launcher.

It was the small room in the back, unlocked by the heart-key, where they found what they were looking for.

Among a few random tools and other supplies, they found a small cardboard box that had one of the parts they were looking for. After pocketing the component, the trio left the storage room and went out the other door on that level, leading them out into the rain on the roof of the station.

The fiery wreckage of the helicopter that had crashed earlier could be seen not too far away. And sadly, the flames were blocking their only way to get to the clocktower.

"We gotta activate the fire-suppressant system to put out those flames." BJ said while pointing at the chopper wreck. "It's the only way we'll get back to the main part of the station."

"How do we do that?" asked Claire.

The Marine went over to a metal ladder and began to descend, "This way." The girls followed his lead and went down to another section of the roof.

When they stepped off, BJ immediately saw Sherry shivering. Holding her arms as she tried to stave off the cold rain around them. Without thinking twice he undid his uniform jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders, his dog tags clinking softly against the tan colored t-shirt he wore under it.

She practically swam in it, and the arms had to be rolled up a lot so her hands could be free, but at least she would be warm and dry.

Sherry smiled at her big brother before she saw the rain start to soak into his shirt. "What about you?"

"A little cold won't hurt me much. No worries, Sher." BJ waved it off before going over to the pump-valve that powered the fire-suppressant system. Pulling the lever, the trio watched a waterfall cascade down from a broken pipe above where the nose of the copter had gone through the building. Dosing the wreckage and putting the fires out in seconds.

When he was sure the fire was out, the Marine lifted up on the lever to cut the flow of water. "Now we're in business." said Claire, happy that things were starting to go their way for once.

They entered back into the station through a nearby door and made their way down the hallway on the other side. Turning a corner and taking in the cooling wreckage before them.

"Okay, we'll have to crawl under it to get to the other side." said BJ as he turned to the girls, "I'll go under first, check to see if it's clear. Then-" he was cut off when the loud screech of metal bending echoed around them.

Turning back to the copter, the trio looked on as the entire wreckage started to move. Lifting upward to reveal a lone man in a long black trench coat and a fedora, standing close to eight feet in height and holding the smoldering transport with only ONE HAND!

BJ took a step back, raising his shotgun with Claire following his lead with her sidearm. Neither saying a word. Whatever this man, this _thing_ was, it was far from natural. That much was for sure, and they weren't taking chances.

The man raised his head, showing a pale face and cold, soulless eyes that zeroed in on their small group. His gaze flickered to each of them before locking onto Sherry who was hiding behind her brother and the young Redfield's legs.

With a shove, the copter was jammed into the wall where it stayed. Making an opening big enough for the man to pass through, his footfalls heavy and loud, shaking the floor beneath him.

"Stay back!" BJ ordered, bringing his shotgun up. The man continued as though he hadn't heard him. The Marine squeezed the trigger, his weapon registering loudly and the buckshot hitting his target's center of mass…

But the unknown giant didn't even stutter as he kept moving forward.

Racking the pump, BJ fired again with the same result. A third shot quickly followed. With the man closing the gap fast, the Marine went with the only plan that would work for them.

"RUN!"

The trio spun around and ran back the way they came, going back out into the rain. "Where do we go?!" shouted Claire.

"Back to Irons' office!" BJ called back before the door behind them exploded open and the giant stepped out. "Claire, take Sherry and get out of here!" he drew his sidearm and opened fire, aiming for the man's face and eyes.

"BJ-" Claire tried to argue.

"Claire GO! NOW!" the Marine shouted, leaving no room for argument as he tried to hold off the black-clad juggernaut.

The brunette hesitated for half a second before grabbing Sherry's hand and running to the ladder. Sending her up first with her right behind.

BJ's MK.23 clicked with an empty clip that he ejected and reached for a new one. But by that point the giant had reached him, swinging a massive fist in his direction that he had to dive out of the way to avoid.

Rolling back to his feet, the Marine slammed a fresh clip into his sidearm in preparation for a follow up attack...but was baffled when he saw the large man keep walking past him...toward the ladder the girls had gone up.

"HEY!" he shouted, peppering the man's back with bullets that had no affect on him as he began to climb the ladder.

BJ sprinted across the roof, drawing his knife in his free hand as he jumped up onto the giant's back. Stabbing the blade into his shoulder and firing into the back of his neck.

The unknown man grunted with each trigger pull, showing no other signs as he let go of the ladder and reached over his shoulder. Grabbing BJ's arm and throwing the Marine off. The strength behind the toss sent him rolling across the roof, his gun clattering across the wet ground while his knife remained where he had stabbed it.

Doing his best to shake it off, BJ looked up and quickly rolled aside when a large fist came down and put a crater in the ground where he had been.

The giant pulled his fist out of the roof, but not before the Marine managed to nail him across the face with a hard punch.

BJ stumbled back, holding his hand after feeling as though he had just struck a brick wall. While the man only had his hat knocked off his bald head. Reaching down and picking it back up, the giant put the hat back on casually before coming at him again. His slow, but powerful swings forcing the Marine to dodge to avoid getting flattened.

The thing was strong, but slow. He needed to use that as an advantage.

Avoiding another big punch, BJ pulled out his shotgun and fired at the giant's head. The buckshot tore into the side of his face, but once again he showed no signs of pain other than a deep grunt.

Right as he chambered another round, the Marine felt pain suddenly explode through his body. One of the giant's almost tree trunk sized arms swung out and caught him in the stomach, all the air in his lungs and a little blood rushing out of his mouth as his feet were lifted from the ground and he was sent flying. Coming to an abrupt stop when his back slammed into the brick wall behind him and hitting the wet ground a second after.

Dazed and unable to draw breath for several moments, BJ raised his head. Doing his best to blink away the blurriness as the giant went for the ladder again. Climbing it quickly to the next floor.

Gritting his teeth, the Marine staggered back to his feet. The pain in his torso dulling slightly as he stumbled across the roof, gathering his dropped weapons before quickly following after the giant. He had to stop it before it got to Sherry and Claire.

Climbing the ladder, BJ went through the door that had been practically torn from its hinges in time to hear gunshots and loud crashing from the floor above. Running down the steps, reloading his shotgun along the way, he entered Irons' office to find it in shambles.

The taxidermy animals were in pieces along with a good portion of the furniture. He found Claire laid out on the floor by the shattered table in the center of the room while Sherry screamed from the corner with the giant bearing down on her.

Without hesitating, BJ fired a shotgun blast into the large man's back. Making him turn around and give Sherry the chance to run around him and kneel beside Claire who was starting to come around.

The Marine kept firing, hoping to nail a weak point. But each shot didn't find any purchase as the giant crossed the distance in three long strides and grabbed him by the throat. Lifting him off the floor effortlessly and began to apply pressure.

Knowing full well the thing could snap his neck like it was a twig, BJ thought fast. Going for broke, he dropped his shotgun and drew his sidearm, firing point blank right into the giant's right eye.

That got a reaction. The giant's head snapped back and he grunted loudly, dropping BJ to grab at his face.

Not wanting to waste this chance, the Marine grabbed his shotgun then grabbed Claire and Sherry and ran. Going down the stairs, along the same path they had been going on before and putting as much distance between them and their pursuer as they could.

The station flew past them as they kept moving, not stopping even for a second before they found themselves back in the main lobby of the station on the second floor.

"What...What the fuck...was that thing?!" Claire gasped between deep breaths from all the running they had done. Holding the railing in front of her to stay upright.

"No goddamn clue. Whatever it was, it wasn't anything natural." BJ replied, eyes locked on the door they had just come through and praying they had lost the thing. He turned to Sherry who was shaking like a leaf. "You okay, Sherry?"

His sister nodded, "It...It almost got me. Claire got hurt trying to stop it."

The Marine turned his attention to Claire who waved him off, "He tossed me through the table back in the chief's office. I'm okay though, I'm tougher than I look."

"I know the feeling." BJ said in agreement, hand going to his still sore midsection. He was honestly surprised that he didn't have any broken ribs from the hit he'd taken. "We'll take a minute before moving on. We still need to reach the clocktower."

They went down the steps to the ground floor. The first thing Claire and BJ noticed was that Marvin wasn't where he had been when they went through the secret passage under the Goddess statue. But they did see a trail of blood leading away from the bed he had taken up to the other side of the lobby behind a stack of crates.

A low groan was heard before the officer who had helped them stumbled out into the open. Only now his skin was pale grey with the familiar clouded eyes of the undead.

Claire showed a look of despair at the man's fate after all he had done for them. She raised her weapon to end his suffering when BJ reached out and lowered it.

"We can't waste the ammo. Or risk having that big asshole hearing it." he said when he saw her questioning gaze. Since his knife had been left in the giant's shoulder, the Marine had to put the former officer down another way.

Meeting the zombified Marvin head on as he started to lumber toward them, BJ sidestepped when he lunged and tripped him. Now sprawled out on the ground, the Marine kneeled on his back and grabbed his head, a sharp twist and a crack and he went still.

Sighing through his nose, BJ carefully rolled Marvin's body over. Crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. It wasn't much, but it was the best he could do for the man given the situation.

"Thanks for all your help, Lieutenant." he said before standing up and turning to the girls. None of them said a word as they made their way out of the lobby in the direction of the clocktower.

They would mourn the man and the many others that had died there another time. Right now they still had to escape. And with another, large, obstacle in their way they needed to work fast before this place became their tomb.

**X**

**A/N: Given that I have so much time to work on things as of late, and since I've been playing the remakes for RE2 and 3, I decided to go a step further. Even though I won't be posting a new story for a while, I started laying the ground work for one that adds onto this one that involves another OC joining STARS Alpha team and being in a relationship with Jill with events leading up to the first game all the way to the third and beyond.**

**Before I end this installment, I will share with you a small teaser of this new story that will conglomerate into a whole different series. **

_ "Chopper's right there, com'mon!" Gabe shouted as he and Jill ran across the top floor of the parking garage. The loud thrum of the aerial transport's propellers echoing loudly in the night._

_They barely reached halfway when the tail of the helicopter exploded, sending it into a deadly tailspin that had the two former STARS diving out of the way. The transport hit the ground and exploded, sending them both slamming into the side of a parked car and leaving them dazed. _

_Gabe coughed, staggering to his feet and reaching out to his companion. "Jill, you okay?!" he said loudly over the ringing in his ears._

_Jill nodded, gritting her teeth and holding her side where a large bruise was probably already forming. She looked past him and tensed, "Shit."_

_Spinning around, Gabe cursed as well when he saw a hulking form stepped out of the shadows on the other end of the parking garage and began making its way toward them. "What the fuck is this thing?!" _

_"Gabe!" Jill shouted as she yanked open the driver's side door of the car they were slammed into. Tossing out the dead driver and getting behind the wheel. Her companion ran around to the other side and got into the passenger seat as she tried to start the engine._

_"Dammit! Come on!" Jill shouted, trying and failing to get the car to turn over with little success. Gabe smashed out his window and drew his Colt M1911, firing on their pursuer who was closing in fast. The .45 caliber rounds finding purchase, but doing nothing to slow it down._

_"JILL!" he shouted, reloading his weapon when the clip ran empty._

_"I'M TRYING!" JIll shouted back just as the engine roared to life. "Now it's my turn BITCH!" she slammed the stick shift into place and slammed on the gas. The car shot forward, tires squealing on the asphalt as it crossed the distance and slammed into the large figure in all black._

_Metal crunched and glass shattered...but to the horror of the duo it did little as their attacker managed to stop the car with its bare hands._

_Through the tears in the black mask covering its face, a pale, soulless eye leered at them before driving its hand through the windshield. Grabbing Jill around the neck and began strangling her. _

_"LET HER GO ASSHOLE!" Gabe roared, aiming his reloaded 1911 at the things head and emptying the whole clip into it. The creature grunted with each bullet that penetrated its skull, but it's grip on the woman remained unyielding._

_Jill gagged and choked, but managed to keep her foot firmly on the gas pedal. The car's engine roared and tire's burning before it took off with the one holding her on the hood._

_There was a loud crash and suddenly they were airborne. The monster sent flying one direction while they went straight down and slammed into the street. The duo being thrown around inside the car as it rolled a couple of times before landing on its roof._

_Inside, Gabe groaned. His whole body ached from head to toe from the crash and everything else that led up to that point in the last hour alone. With herculean effort, he managed to roll onto his side. Finding the face of the woman who had become the center of his whole world laid out beside him, illuminated by the fires burning outside._

_Through the pain, he thought back to when all this had started. How he had gone from the marksman of STARS Alpha Team to being wanted dead by the corporation that pretty much owned Raccoon City._

_Back then things had been simpler, and he realized he should have cherished those days while they lasted._


	10. Escape

"Ah! Damn!" BJ cursed, flinching as nimble fingers gently worked over the massive bruise on his chest.

Before leaving for the clocktower he and Claire had decided to check their supplies after using up so many bullets against the black clad giant. While they were counting rounds, the Marine ended up turning a wrong way and held his side when pain flared across his ribs.

Claire had seen this and immediately had him sit down so she could check him over. Fighting down a deep blush when BJ removed his shirt, showing his fit and muscled upper half from his time in the military.

The young Redfield ran her fingers carefully along the Marine's ribs, wincing when she saw the black and purple tinted skin. "Looks bad, but I don't think anything's broken." she said as she finished checking the last rib.

"Lucky. That thing was strong and damn near unstoppable." said BJ while pulling his shirt back on, much to Claire's disappointment. "Whatever, or whoever, made that thing certainly had the intention of making a living tank. Doubt anything we got could kill it." He looked at his partner expectantly.

"...what?" she asked after a moment or two.

"Your turn. If memory serves, that bastard put you through a table." the Marine stated.

Claire hesitated a moment before sighing, knowing she didn't have a leg to stand on after the small argument they had to check on his injuries.

Switching places, the young Redfield removed her red leather jacket and leaving her in a black tank top that hugged her chest snuggly.

Swallowing down the dry lump in his throat, BJ shook himself and focused on his companion's upper back and shoulders. There were signs of bruising on her fair skin, but the thick material of her jacket had saved her from any cuts from going through the table.

From her seat, Claire smiled to herself knowing that he had been checking her out. Getting a sense of satisfaction in the knowledge that he showed signs of being attracted to her.

She'd gotten a fair amount of attention from boys since junior high. But either Chris or her own tomboyish tendencies had driven them off over the years. Most were drawn in by her looks, but they didn't expect who she was beneath that which in the end had turned her away from the idea of dating. There were a rare few that approached her full of arrogance, those particular SOBs were put in their place the hard way.

But right now, despite the situation they were in, Claire couldn't help but feel butterflies in her stomach with the looks and smiles she got from BJ. They had bonded so much ever since they first met at that gas station, he didn't treat her like some weak damsel, but as an equal. That combined with his charm, charisma and the tenderness he showed to his little sister made him stand out more than any male before him.

So lost in her thoughts, she suddenly gasped when she felt warm, calloused hands on her bare shoulders.

"Sorry. Did I hit something?" BJ asked, looking up from his examination of her bruising.

"N-No...just surprised me there." Claire admitted, her cheeks reddening as he checked her over again. The color darkened more as he moved his hands along her back, feeling for anything out of place along her spine. The brunette sank her teeth into her bottom lip, doing her best to keep from making a sound.

His touch was firm, but gentle. Even though he was making sure she didn't have internal damage, she couldn't help but enjoy what she was feeling. It took all her strength to avoid sighing in bliss.

Though the feeling didn't last long as BJ removed his hands from her form. "I recommend avoid being thrown through anymore tables. Otherwise you were right, you're tougher than you look." he said in a light, joking manner.

"Were you doubting me?" Claire teased back, using the time to get her heart and blushing back under control.

"After all the shit we've been through tonight. I'll never doubt you." the Marine answered without hesitation.

The brunette stood and faced him, sending a beaming smile his way that had the former soldier's breath stilling. Even though she looked a little roughed up, that smile made her look like a movie star. And it took all his self control to avoid tasting her soft lips.

They stood with their eyes locked, blue on blue, for what felt like minutes when it was only a second or two. Quickly breaking contact, they got back to the matter at hand.

"So what do we do?" asked Claire as she pulled her jacket back on.

BJ gathered his freshly loaded weapons from the main desk, "We get that missing part, then get the hell out of here. But we're going to need more firepower. So we need to head back to the STARS office and get into that gun locker first."

Claire nodded and started gathering her weapons as well while BJ went over to where Sherry was asleep on one of the cots set up in the lobby, curled up in his uniform jacket with her hands clutching something.

Curious, he knelt down next to her and got a better look. Attached to a chain around Sherry's neck was an oval shaped pendant only a bit bigger than a half-dollar

The Marine reached out and gently shook his sister awake. "Sherry? I wish I could let you sleep, angel. But we gotta go."

Sherry blinked her eyes open and yawned before sitting up. "So tired." she mumbled while rubbing her eyes.

"I know, Sher. I just need you to hang in there for a little longer, okay." BJ said, understanding how exhausted she must be. He looked down at the pendant she was still holding, "That's a nice necklace, baby sis."

"Mom gave it to me for my 11th birthday." she replied, holding it out to him to reveal it had her name engraved in it.

"It's pretty." said Claire after joining the siblings and seeing the necklace.

Sherry nodded with a sad look, "It's nice...but the only thing I wanted for my birthday was for mom and dad to be home."

BJ scowled, eyes darkening as a deep seeded anger boiled in his veins. If there was one thing he regretted about joining the Marines, it was that he left his sister pretty much alone.

William and Annette Birkin were a lot of things. Intelligent, dedicated and masters in their fields of study...but the one thing they weren't was parents. Even when he and Sherry were little they hardly ever saw them, always focused on their carriers instead of their children. BJ had to take the role of big brother and pseudo parent for his sister, sacrificing a great deal of his upbringing so that she would have someone there when she needed it.

He never regretted any of it. And he had the memories of seeing Sherry grow up and be a major part of a lot of milestones in her life. But any trust or respect he would have had for their folks had died long ago.

And that resentment still burned hotter than the sun to this day.

Mentally repeating his mantra, BJ managed to calm down and smiled at his sister. "Sorry I wasn't there to surprise you, Sherry."

His sister smiled back, "It's okay. I re-read a lot of your letters that day. It made me feel better."

Another lance of fury burned through BJ's core, but he stomped down on it for the time being. Instead he helped his sister up from the cot. Claire could instantly tell that the Marine was angry and was hiding it well, vowing to ask him about it later as they filed out of the lobby and back into the dark halls beyond.

**X**

Save for a couple of zombies that had been laying in wait, the trio managed to make it to the STARS office with no real difficulty despite their low ammo supply.

Claire took out the badge-dongle they found in Irons' office and plugged it into the computer set up beside the locked weapon cage. A few seconds and a couple keystrokes later, the heavy door unlocked allowing them entry.

Once inside, the oldest of the trio immediately began going through every box, locker and cabinet in sight. BJ removed the AR-15 and the MQ-11 machine pistol from the weapon rack and put them on one of the desks while Claire followed with boxes of bullets she'd found.

Sherry helped them as they also found rig harnesses and belts for their supplies. BJ grabbed a black STARS tactical vest and slipped it on, slipping ammo clips in the proper pockets while Claire snapped on a shoulder rig and holster.

"Guess we should be thankful the locker was so hard to get into." the Marine stated, snapping a holographic sight onto the top rail of the assault rifle and adjusted it for accuracy. "The STARS were well armed."

"Too bad it couldn't help anyone else." Claire added, snapping a clip into her new machine pistol and slipping it into her new shoulder holster before doing the same with her sidearm into the one on her right thigh.

When they were finished, the duo looked ready to take on whatever got in their way.

"You guys look so cool." said Sherry, causing the older duo to laugh.

"Not looking too bad yourself, little sis. You can definitely pull off camouflage." said BJ.

Their task done, they reviewed their map quickly before leaving the office. Being sure to check for anything that could have been laying in wait while they were inside. The Licker that had been out there the first time they passed through had moved on, to where none of them knew as long as it wasn't nearby.

Making their way through the library and back out into the lobby's second floor. Only to freeze where they stood when they heard heavy footsteps from somewhere nearby.

BJ quickly crouched low, sticking close to the shadows with the girls following his example. On the ground floor, they could see the black-clad giant stomping his way across the marble floor. Stopping long enough to look around before moving again, searching.

Bringing the AR-15 to his shoulder and centering the holographic sight on their pursuer's head, BJ motioned to Claire and Sherry to keep moving but to stay low.

Nodding, the young Redfield took Sherry's hand and led her across the balcony to the door that would take them inside the clocktower. The Marine remained where he was, tracking the giant to be sure that he didn't get too close to where they were. He doubted the 5.56 rounds would do any better against it, but it would hopefully distract it enough to slip away.

"Psst." BJ looked to his left and saw Claire with the door open, waving him over. He sent one last look at the giant before carefully moving over to his partner and slipping through the door. Closing it quietly.

"Mr. X doesn't give up, does he?" said the brunette in a whisper.

"Mr. X?" BJ asked with a raised eyebrow.

Claire shrugged, "Figured he needed a name. He definitely looks like something that belongs in the X-Files."

The Marine couldn't help but agree before he looked around them. The clocktower's interior was as old as the whole building itself, and it showed with the old wood covered floors and walkways.

Giving the room a once over, searching for the missing panel piece they needed, the small group stopped beneath a flight of stairs that would take them farther up when they found nothing. But it was raised and out of reach.

"There's gotta be a lever or something nearby." said Claire as BJ scanned the upper rafters with his flashlight, catching the brightly colored tool box a couple levels up in the center where the tower's bell hung.

"Over here!" Sherry called out, drawing the adults to where the girl was standing in front of an old pulley system. "One of the cogs is missing. If we replace it, it should lower the stairs."

"How do you know that, Sherry?" asked her brother.

The little blonde smiled, "I did a school project on the old clock tower after we had a field trip here once. Everything in here works through old motors like this." she explained.

Looking around, they managed to find a replacement cog for the one that was missing and fitted it into place. A pull of a nearby level had the gears turning and the steps lowering to their level.

"Good work, sis." BJ said with pride which had Sherry beaming. They moved up to the upper walkway. The tool box was still out of their reach, but the Marine quickly came up with a plan.

Slinging his rifle over his shoulder, he knelt down and cupped his hands. Giving Claire a boost up where she reached through the bars surrounding the bell and got the toolbox.

"It's too big!" she called down when she couldn't get the metal box through the bars.

BJ raised her up a little more to where her feet were now on his shoulders. "See if you can get it open. All we need is the part!" he said back, hands holding her legs to keep her stable.

The young Redfield put her other arm through and undid the latch on the tool box and opened it. Going through the contents and finding the component they were looking for. "I got it!" she said, holding up the piece.

A loud snap had their heads shooting upward. The old rope that was holding the bell aloft started to break and unravel, unable to sustain the weight of the heavy antique after not being repaired when it should have.

"CLAIR LOOKOUT!" BJ shouted, throwing them both back as the bell broke free and came crashing down. Smashing through the wooden blanks set up beneath it and hitting the floor below with a loud crash.

Sherry peeked out from behind a nearby panel where she had taken cover, seeing all the dust that had been kicked up when the bell collapsed. "Billy? Claire?" she called out, trying to see them through the small cloud that started to settle.

Two sets of coughing was heard and the older duo were shown laid out on the walkway. BJ laying on top of Claire, having caught her and rolled over to shield them both from the debris with her face buried in his shoulder.

The Marine raised his head and looked down at the brunette when the danger had passed, "You okay?"

Claire nodded, a little breathless after the sudden turn of events. "Yeah, thanks for that."

A quick moment passed before they realized the position they were in. Their faces barely an inch apart with BJ settled between Claire's long legs, cradled by her shapely hips.

Their faces turned atomic red, which grew worse when they heard Sherry giggling a few feet away which prompted them to untangle from each other and scramble back to their feet like teenagers that had been caught in a broom closet.

It took a little while for the awkwardness to pass before they decided to get going. The last panel part in hand, they were more than ready to get out of there.

Venturing back to the door that led to the lobby, BJ pulled open the door-

Immediately stopping cold when a massive figure stood at the threshold waiting for them.

"FUCK!" The Marine slammed the door just as the newly named Mr. X's fist smashed through it, missing his head by only a little. "RUN!"

They ran in the opposite direction as the giant tore the door off its hinges and stomped after them. Claire kicked the door at the other end of the large room open and they entered the hallway that took them to the attic where they got the last medallion from.

Slamming the door behind them, BJ grabbed a nearby shelf and threw it down in front of it to give them more time before they started running again. Rounding the corner and gaining the attention of a Licker that had been sleeping in the old hallway.

The creature shrieked at them and prepared to leap when a small barrage of 5.56 and .380 rounds tore into its flesh and dropped it to the floor. Not dead, but stunned enough for the humans to run past it in the direction of the stairwell.

Crawling back upright, the Licker hissed at the retreating group before a massive hand grabbed the back of its neck. Mr. X lifting the flailing creature up and smashing it against the wall hard enough to break the surface and splatter the Licker's skull across it. His face emotionless as he dropped the body and continued the pursuit.

**X**

A lone zombie looked up when running footsteps were heard above it. Growling with primitive hunger when it saw BJ, Claire and Sherry coming down the stairs fast and reaching out at them.

BJ jumped from the last step, drop-kicking the undead in the chest and sending it into the wall behind it with enough force to crack the back of its head. Without stopping they kept running, slamming doors open along the way until the reached the ground floor to the lobby.

"We gotta get back to Irons' office!" BJ shouted as they ran to the open shutter door across from them.

A crash behind them had them spinning around to see Mr. X coming out of the room they just came out of.

"Fucking Christ!" the Marine shouted as he and Claire fired on the giant. Aiming for his head and legs in an attempt to slow him down while they backed up until they were through the large door.

Claire adjusted her aim and shot the fuse box powering the shutters. The light switched to red as the metal door came slamming down and sealing shut. "I doubt that will stop him long, keep moving!" she said just as a massive dent was made from the otherside.

They tore through the rest of the station, taking out any undead that got in their way as they made it back to the police chief's office. BJ started grabbing anything heavy and began barricading the door.

"Claire! You and Sherry get that pass, I'll cover the door!" he said, swapping the magazine in his AR-15 and taking position in the middle of the room. The brunette and his sister quickly ran through the other door to get what they needed.

A tense silence filled the office, the Marine remained in a kneeling position with his rifle aimed at the barricaded door, finger tight against the trigger with adrenaline coursing through his veins.

For a brief moment in time, he was back overseas. The calm before a firefight with danger just around the corner. He would be lying if he said he missed the feeling.

Seconds ticked by and there were no sounds other than BJ's careful breathing and the thundering of his heart beat in his ears. Before he knew it Claire and Sherry came back into the office with the parking pass.

"Elevator." BJ said simply before they went out the hidden door at the back of the room and back toward the personal lift that would take them back to the parking garage. Riding the small platform down to the ground floor and making a b-line to the gate that would get them out of there.

Claire swiped the card over the panel, the gate started raising and they quickly bailed out into the street outside. The rain had let up to a light drizzle, the air a little colder, but a relief to the smell of blood and death inside the station.

Once they were a safe distance from the gate, in the street amongst a handful of derelict cars, the trio stopped long enough to catch their breath. "I haven't run that much since track in high school." said Claire.

"At least it's good cardio." replied BJ, keeping his eyes locked on the gate to the parking garage as it lowered back to the ground and locked. Once he was sure nothing was coming out after them, he looked around the empty street, taking in all the dark and boarded up storefronts. Thankfully, the only zombies in sight were the ones milling behind a gated fence leading into an alley next to the old gun shop.

"We're going to need to find a place to hole up and think of our next move. We're completely exposed out here." said the Marine.

"How about the orphanage?" He looked at Clare confused before she removed a file from under her jacket. "I found this on the desk under the parking pass. It looks like Irons set up an escape plan when things went bad." she said, handing the file to BJ.

Thumbing through the contents, he saw a lot of notes, most of which was paranoid rambling about Umbrella, his parents, and getting revenge on them all. But then he saw a small printout of a blueprint of the old orphanage a street over.

Much like many of the buildings in Raccoon City, the place had been around a long time and had gone through a lot of improvements over the years. From what BJ was seeing, Irons had highlighted what looked like a secret passage beneath the orphanage that led to the sewers.

It was a long shot, but it was the best they were going to get.

"I know a way to get there from here. But if this is Irons' plan to escape the city, then chances are that he's there right now after he got away before." said BJ seriously. "We get there, be ready for anything."

Claire and Sherry both nodded before the Marine led them to the gated alleyway. The two zombies there noticed their approach and reached for them only to be put down with a headshot each. With the immediate threat out of the way, they entered the alley and headed toward their next objective that would hopefully lead them out of this nightmare once and for all.

Unknown to them, back at the parking garage, Mr. X stood watching them as they departed. His large hands grabbing the gate and wrenching it up from the ground, causing the motor for it to spark and smoke.

His heavy footsteps could be heard echoing through the night as he followed his target.

**X**

**A/N: Sadly, the nightmare is far from over.**

**There were a couple of questions revolving around my next Resident Evil project and I'm willing to answer them here and now;**

**Even though the RE3 remake has some mixed reviews at the moment, it will play a big part of the story. However, the whole fic itself will go through the days leading up to RE1, the events after including the fall of Raccoon City, and will have elements of the third game, its remake, the comics, and even a bit of the books by S.D. Perry (Because she really nailed the story in detail with her work.). Basically, there will be a lot of resources I'll be pulling content from instead of just one.**

**And yes, this new story is in the same AU as this one. Meaning they will all intersect at some point in the future. But for now this one is still a work in progress and my newest project is only in its planning stages, but you can bet it'll make a debut someday. **

**Appreciating all the feed back and reviews, and I'm hoping everyone is staying healthy out there!**


	11. A Brother's Burden

To see the once thriving city he had grown up in so quiet and desolate was beyond unnerving. BJ couldn't see it as home anymore, the darkness and madness of the outbreak had turned it into a literal shadow of its former self.

Moving through the alleys with Sherry and Claire on his heels and keeping their eyes searching every dark corner in case something was lurking nearby. Thankfully they'd had no trouble since leaving the police station. None of them saying anything in the off chance they would be overheard by something.

BJ stopped and held up his hand, the girls following his lead as he looked through the chain-link fence on their right. Between a pair of parked cars, three undead dobermans eating a body. Too focused on their 'meal' to notice them.

Pressing a finger to his lips, the Marine continued to lead them toward the mouth of the alley. Pushing the gate open slowly, they ventured out into the street and began making their way around the cars. BJ being sure to keep a close eye on the zombie dog pack who still hadn't seen them yet.

With the street as cluttered with derelict cars as it was, the trio had to cut through the basketball court and then into a cross-town bus that had formed a barricade to block the way.

"There it is." said BJ, motioning to the cartoon colored gates that were now dented and warped from something bashing their way through.

Claire saw the damage and cringed, "I hope they got the children out before all this."

"Me too." the Marine added as they eased through the damaged gate. Finding the old oak doors that led into the building smashed to splinters. Raising his rifle to his shoulder, he crept up to the threshold and peered inside.

The atrium was completely trashed. Toys and furniture thrown about, the walls and floor were torn and cracked in several places, and there were splashes of blood on a few surfaces.

None of them even wanted to think about what had happened here.

"Where now?" asked Claire, grip tight on her machine pistol.

BJ took out the map of the building. "There's a room in the back with a hidden trap door that should take us to the sewers. Let's hope Irons wasn't as crazy as he looked." They made their way to the back of the main room and through a door that led into a L-shaped corridor that led farther into the orphanage.

They had just rounded the corner when someone ran into them.

That person being Irons himself. The former Chief of police looked as though he had been through hell, his clothes torn and bloody with deep scratches on his face and his skin looking grey like stone.

"Y-You! Little bastard!" Irons bellowed, looking to be in pain as he stumbled forward and grabbed BJ by the arms. "I...It's all y-your f-f-ault!"

The Marine broke the man's hold and punched him across the face. The sound of Irons' jaw cracking as he was thrown into the wall next to them was overshadowed by another noise, this one sounding similar to stretching and tearing.

"D-Damn you, William!" the Chief shouted just before his chest exploded in a fountain of blood and gore. A fleshy creature covered in tendrils burst forth with a high-pitched screech as it jumped out of the man's rib cage straight at the startled group.

"Jesus Christ!" Claire screamed, jumping out of the way with Sherry as the thing sailed past them and landed on the floor. There was a brief pause before it sprang up and scuttled down the hall and out of sight. "What the fuck was that?!"

BJ was stalk-still, unable to even comprehend what had happened in less than a minute. His gaze trailed back to Irons' body, knowing right away that the man was dead given the huge hole in his chest.

"Is...Is he dead?" Sherry whimpered from behind Claire.

Her brother nodded, "Yeah. Corrupted asshole as he was...no one deserved to die like that." he said, stepping around the corpse and toward the room where Irons more than likely came out of. Looking to be an office of some kind that had recently been tossed with how the furniture had been thrown about.

With no immediate threats, the little group looked the room over carefully for anything important. Finding a few spare bullets scattered around but not much else in terms of supplies. But toward the back of the room, in a corner out of sight from anyone not looking, was an open trap door that led under the orphanage. Just like the file Claire had found said.

BJ knelt by the opening, shining his flashlight down into the darkness and seeing a stone floor at the bottom. "This is it." he said looking up at the girls. "I'll head down first, check to see if it's clear."

"Be careful." Sherry and Claire said at the same time, looking at each other surprised before laughing.

The Marine rolled his eyes, but smiled as he got on the metal ladder that led under the floor. "I'll be fine girls." he said before sliding down the rungs, boots hitting the stone where he spun around and crouched with his AR-15 at the ready.

The walls and ceiling all matched the floor. Old stone and looked to have been built around the same time the orphanage had been. The faded, yellow lights on the walls providing just enough visibility to see ahead.

"We're good, come on down." he called up. Sherry came down the ladder behind him with Claire not far behind, when they were all together again they started moving down the tunnel in front of them. Turning a corner and going down a flight of steps that took them farther into the earth.

A loud crash from behind made them jump. Turning around and discovering to their horror a familiar black-clad giant stomping toward them.

"Go, go, go!" Claire shouted and they started running through the long, winding tunnels, down more stairs until they reached a dead end with a service elevator open and waiting.

Sprinting inside, BJ slammed his fist on the panel by the door and closing the gate. Only for Mr. X to slam into the other side, sticking his fingers in the middle and prying them back open again. The metal bending beneath his monstrous strength.

"Oh, give us a fucking break!" BJ shouted, emptying a full clip from his rifle into the giant's exposed face while Claire put herself between X and Sherry and shooting as well. None of the rounds doing any good as the giant had the gate open enough to get inside.

And with nowhere else to go, they were trapped.

The two older survivors prepared themselves to fight to the end against the giant, only to be showered in blood when a massive set of claws suddenly exploded out of Mr. X's chest.

Behind him, the mutated form of William Birkin stood. Growling like a rabid animal as his body began to change. Muscles stretched, bones cracked and split as his body grew bigger, his head drifted down into his chest and a second, alien-looking one grew in its place. Another large arm sprouted from his left side while his human one hung limply from his torso.

"D-Daddy?" Sherry breathed, BJ and Claire looking on in morbid fascination at the man's new transformation.

With a bellowing roar, William tore his claw out of Mr. X. Nearly bisecting him clean in half at the waist, the once unstoppable giant collapsing to the ground unmoving. With the other monster out of the way, he charged at the elevator just when the gate had closed again.

"DADDY NO!" Sherry screamed as he slammed into the lift, sending it crashing against the back wall of the shaft and breaking the cables keeping it aloft.

"HANG ON TO SOMETHING!" BJ shouted as the elevator broke loose and went into freefall. All of them screaming as they plunged into the darkness below…

A loud crash following soon after.

**X**

_"Billy!"_

_ 16 year old BJ all but kicked the bedroom door open, standing in the threshold in a wife beater and sleep pants after waking up hearing Sherry scream for him._

_ His 6 year old sister peeked out from where she was huddled under her blankets, rain pelting the window with lightning flashing and thunder clapping in the distance._

_ "You okay, baby sis?" he asked, coming over and sitting beside her on the bed. Running a hand through her short-blonde hair._

_ "I...I had a bad dream…" she whimpered, tears in her eyes from her night terror._

_ BJ gave her a sad smile, "Do you want me to get you something?" _

_ Sherry shook her head, "Can you stay with me...please?" _

_ Her brother smiled again, "Okay, scoot over." Sherry made room, allowing BJ to lay down next to her as she cuddled into his side with her head on his chest. "Comfy?" _

_ "Mmhmm." Sherry said, nodding her head as they fell into a comfortable silence. "Billy?"_

_ "Yeah?" asked BJ._

_ "Do...Do you hate me?" _

_ The older sibling sat up, forcing her to look up at him, "What...Why would you think that?" he asked, shocked she would think he hated her for anything._

_ "I heard you fighting with mommy and daddy again. You were yelling about me...I just thought…" Sherry trailed off._

_ BJ sighed, "Sherry, no. There's absolutely nothing in this life or the next that would even remotely make me hate you. You're my baby sister, the most important person in my life. And that's never going to change." he said with his heart in his words, pulling his sister close and hugging her._

_ "Why do you, mommy and daddy fight so much?" she asked into his chest. "Are you mad at them?" _

_ He had to think about that one for a moment, "In a lot of ways, I am mad at them." he said honestly._

_ Sherry nodded, "Why are they never home?" she asked, her voice wavering._

_ BJ rubbed her back, he wanted so badly to tell her the truth. That they put their jobs ahead of their children, that they didn't even know how to be parents. But he couldn't. He couldn't do that to her._

_ "It doesn't matter." he finally said, "Because I'm here. And I will always be there for you when you need me." _

_ "Promise?" his sister asked._

_ "I promise." _

**X**

BJ groaned, his whole body feeling as though he'd been put through a grinder. When he managed to open his eyes a bright light flashed over them making it hard to see.

"Wake up. Wake up!" a woman's voice said above him. A familiar voice he had trouble placing until his vision finally swam back into focus.

Kneeling over him was an older blonde woman with her hair tied back in a ponytail wearing a dirty lab coat, blouse and slacks. Her face was slightly gaunt with dark circles under her eyes, looking as though she hadn't slept in days.

"...mom?" BJ said, immediately recognizing her even while she was shining a flashlight in his eyes.

"Not infected. Good." she said before standing up and walking away.

The Marine rolled to his side, holding the back of his head as he surveyed his surroundings.

The elevator was a mangled mess of metal and sparks, the drop crumpling it like a tin can. He immediately shifted his gaze when he saw Claire laid out on the floor a few feet away.

"Claire!" BJ got up, stumbling a bit as he dropped beside her to check her over. The young Redfield groaned as she opened her eyes and looked up at him. "You still with me?"

"Y-Yeah." Claire said, hissing when she sat up, "What happened?"

"Elevator collapsed when-" BJ stopped, eyes widening and looking around. "Sherry? SHERRY?!" he shouted, not seeing his sister anywhere in sight.

"Sherry's fine." Annette Birkin stated, walking around them and writing in a small notebook. "...was an impressive display of strength." she mumbled to herself while looking at the remains of the elevator.

"Where is she?" the Marine demanded, "And what the hell has been going on around here?"

His mother seemed to not hear him as she continued to move about, "We need to assess the situation. I didn't foresee this…" she turned to the younger duo. "Tell me what happened to William?"

BJ looked at her bewildered, "What happened to...Mom what the FUCK is going on?!" Claire shot a surprised look at her partner when he revealed that the woman was his mother. "Raccoon City is a fucking Necropolis! There are mutant freaks running around killing people! And now Sherry is missing!"

Annette looked into the eyes of her eldest child a moment before looking back down at her notebook and started writing again. "Seems to be evolving much faster than expected…"

The Marine saw red. Slapping the notebook from his mother's hands and grabbing her by the arms. "WOULD YOU STOP TALKING BULLSHIT! YOUR DAUGHTER, MY SISTER! IS OUT THERE ALONE WITH A WALKING NIGHTMARE! IF YOU KNOW SOMETHING THEN YOU BETTER BE FUCKING TELLING ME!"

A long silence stretched for several seconds before Annette yanked her arms out of her son's grip. "I don't have time for this." she said, picking up her notes and making for a door nearby. "Everything is under control."

BJ crossed the room in three strides, grabbed Annette by her lab coat and had her against the wall. His eyes blazing with cold fury.

"Where. Is. My. Sister." he hissed through clenched teeth.

His mother showed little to no emotion in response. "She is no longer your concern." she said coldly, removing herself from BJ's hold again and departing through the door she had been approaching.

Claire stood back and watched, unable to comprehend the obvious family drama that had unfolded in front of her. She'd never seen BJ so angry, it looked as though he was losing his restraint on whatever was keeping his emotions in check. And the cold dismissal the woman, his mother, had said…

A roar filled with fury and pent up rage made her jump. Reaching for a weapon expecting another monster, she was stunned when she saw that it was coming from her companion.

BJ lashed out, slamming his fists and feet into a nearby barrel. The blows warping the metal more and more with each strike before picking it up and throwing it across the room. He then started destroying a nearby cabinet, sending its contents flying when the door was torn off the rusted hinges.

"BJ! BJ STOP!" Claire shouted over his primal screaming. Running up behind him and wrapping her arms tight around his middle. He struggled as he continued to let out his rage. "YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN! WE'LL FIND SHERRY! I PROMISE! BUT YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN!" the brunette pressed, doing her best to get through to him.

Her words seemed to have an effect. The Marine stopped what he was doing, taking notice of the arms wrapped around him and the sweet voice trying to reach him.

All of his emotions bled out of him, along with his strength as he collapsed to his knees. Claire followed him, not loosening her hold for a second. In that moment, BJ felt everything finally catching up with him. Years of neglect from William and Annette. Having to be the one to raise Sherry when they weren't around. Everything he faced in the military. Everything he faced during this nightmare and losing Sherry again...it was all too much…

For the first time in what felt like forever...William Birkin II broke down.

Tears fell from his eyes in a soft torrent as heart tearing sobs shook his frame as he lost himself to everything he refused to feel for so long. Everything he pushed aside to be strong for his sister, for his country...for Claire.

For the young Redfield, she only tightened her grip as she felt the Marine fall apart. Whatever was happening, she knew she had to be there for him. He needed her to be there.

"It's okay. I got you." Claire said softly. Laying her head on the back of his.

They sat in the silence, broken only by BJ's anguish finally being released. Time unknown to them until the Marine managed to get himself back under control again.

"C-Claire?" BJ spoke, his voice hoarse and dry.

Claire got up and knelt in front of him, looking into his bloodshot eyes, not with judgement, but understanding and kindness.

"I-" he was cut off when the brunette put a finger to his lips. She then leaned forward and hugged him.

"It's okay." she said softly.

BJ was frozen for a moment before wrapping his arms back around her. Taking in the smell of her hair, the warmth of her embrace. And for a brief second, he felt a bit of the weight on his shoulders lessen.

**X**

It took a little time before BJ was willing to talk about what had just happened. But when he did he told Claire everything from his childhood to the present.

In honesty, she was surprised he hadn't broken down sooner. From what she was hearing, her partner had never really had a moment to feel vulnerable. Always having to be strong for everyone else to the point where he had almost none for himself. It all reminded her too much of what she and Chris had been through growing up.

Now that she knew the truth, Claire couldn't help but find even more similarities between herself and BJ. The biggest difference, however, was that her parents died years ago. BJ and Sherry's parents were alive, but may as well have been dead to them.

The Marine did, and would do, anything for his sister. Just like she knew Chris would always do whatever he could for her.

"I could really use a cigarette right now." BJ muttered when everything had been said.

"I didn't know you smoked." said Claire.

"Quit after I lost my leg...after tonight I might pick up the habit again." the Marine replied with a sardonic chuckle. He sent a look at the door his mother went through and sighed, "We need to get moving. Sherry's still out there, and the longer we stay here the more danger she could be in."

The brunette nodded, "You okay now?"

"Yeah. Claire...thank you." BJ replied honestly.

Claire smiled warmly at him, "You don't have to thank me, BJ." He disagreed, but the Marine smiled back at her before they prepared themselves and went through the same door Annette had passed through earlier.

Entering an office that was in better shape than most of the places they had been in, they headed toward the adjacent door when something on a nearby desk caught BJ's attention.

An open file with its contents spread out over the surface, mainly lab notes and data sheets, but there were also images of DNA strands and other genetic blueprints that showed signs of modifications.

"What is it?" asked Claire as he started going through the files.

"Lab data. Experiment results. It must have been what my mother was working on." said BJ, finding one sheet written out in his mother's handwriting;

'**G' Report:**

**The G-Virus clinical trial will be entering its final phase soon. Before 'G' - the new creature that will surpass humans - is born, allow me to predict a few things about its biology and biological functions.**

"G...this must be what my dad and Irons were talking about." The Marine muttered before he continued reading.

**-Intelligence:**

**The subject's intelligence will begin to drop immediately, with their linguistic abilities disappearing within a matter of days. Finally, they will lose their capacity to reason and their humanity. G will be a creature of pure instinct, driven only by a need to survive and reproduce.**

**-Physical Abilities:**

**Due to unusually accelerated cell division - evolution - it will be highly adaptable to any environment. Furthermore, with its amazing ability to repair itself through regeneration, it will be difficult to completely kill it with any conventional small firepower.**

**-Reproductive Behavior:**

**G's most remarkable feature will be it's intense desire to reproduce. It will instinctively search out humans with DNA that closely matches its own and implant an embryo in them.**

**But the chances of success are very low and if the DNA is not close enough to a match, an underdeveloped G creature will be produced instead. I suppose the only ones who might be close enough of a match would be any biological children of the subject, though…**

The paper slipped from BJ's limp fingers when he finished reading the words out loud. Terror coursed through his veins like liquid ice as the full gravity of the report came down like the Hindenburg.

His father was infected with this G virus, turning him into the monster that had been lurking around. His humanity long gone and replaced with the need to kill and..._reproduce._

And those he would be hunting for were-

He turned to Claire whose face was as pale as his was, she more than likely coming to the same conclusion.

"We need to find Sherry, NOW!"

**X**

**A/N: And the true horror takes root for our heroes.**

**I know BJ's breakdown seemed to come out of nowhere, but coming from someone who suffers from depression, anxiety and PTSD, it's so much easier to ignore your anger, pain and sadness. Forcing it down deep and trying to forget it existed. But in the end, it just takes that one trigger to set it all off. It happens to service men and women everyday as well as countless others who suffered somewhere in their past.**

**BJ is very much human. One that went through a lot but ignored his own pain for the sake of being there for Sherry. His drive and focus, ultimately being his weakness as well. He needed this to not only recover mentally and emotionally, but to also grow stronger for what happens next.**

**Hate it or love it, I figured these events needed to happen. And for Claire to be there to help him through it.**

**I'm steamrolling through this folks, so keep the support coming and I'll update soon.**


End file.
